Twenty-six people from prisons in seven different countries, including the United States and Russia, were exchanged in a major prisoner swap in Ankara on Thursday, the Turkish presidency said.

It said in a statement that the 26 individuals had also come from prisons in Germany, Poland, Slovenia, Norway and Belarus.

Those being swapped included Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich and former U.S. Marine Paul Whelan, who had been imprisoned in Russia, the Turkish presidency said.