Russian TV shows freed prisoners board plane after swap

Video from Russian television shows Americans Evan Gershkovich and Paul Whelan board a plane after their release as part of a prisoner exchange between Russia and the West.

Sixteen prisoners have been released from Russian prisons in the biggest exchange deal since the Cold War.

Gershkovich, a Wall Street Journal reporter, and Whelan, a US Marine veteran who also holds Canadian, British and Irish citizenship, are among those on their way back to the US.

Footage also shows Russian prisoners that were swapped in the exchange returning to Russia.

US President Joe Biden has celebrated the release of American prisoners, adding that the exchange was largely due to American allies.