Russia and the West agreed to a massive prisoner exchange carried out Thursday that involved six countries, two dozen prisoners, and extensive negotiations from all parties involved.

Four Americans were released from Russia, as were 12 German nationals and Russian political prisoners, while the United States, Germany, Slovenia, and Norway agreed to give up eight Russians. The difference in the cases is Russia imprisons journalists and civilians to use as bargaining chips in these types of negotiations, whereas the Western countries are parting with Russians who often had been convicted in courts of law.