#026 | Prisoners in the New Cold War with Drew Hinshaw and Joe Parkinson

What do prisoner exchanges reveal about the changing relationship between Russia and the West?

Michael Kimmage is joined by Wall Street Journal journalists Drew Hinshaw and Joe Parkinson to discuss their book, Swap: A Secret History of the New Cold War, an account of the negotiations that culminated in the landmark 2024 prisoner exchange between Russia and the West.

Hinshaw and Parkinson examine how prisoners have become instruments of geopolitical leverage, the roles of intelligence operatives and intermediaries in negotiating their release, and the political calculations shaping these exchanges.

The conversation explores the practice of detaining and exchanging prisoners in Vladimir Putin’s Russia, the complexities of diplomacy between adversaries, and what these negotiations reveal about U.S.-Russia relations amid the war in Ukraine.

📖 Explore Swap: A Secret History of the New Cold War by Drew Hinshaw and Joe Parkinson:

https://www.amazon.com/Swap-Secret-History-New-Cold/dp/0063458241

Stay connected with the Kennan Institute. Join our mailing list for new analysis, events, and conversations:

https://www.kennaninstitute.org/newsletter