WikiLeaks’ Julian Assange is in deteriorating health and will almost certainly die in prison upon his “extradition” from the UK to the US where he’s facing 175 years behind bars on trumped-up charges after exposing American war crimes through his platform. This global icon of free speech and independent journalism engenders sympathy across the world from all but the most radical unipolar liberal-globalists, which is why it’s incumbent to free him at all costs. While it’s a long-shot, the only realistic chance of this happening might be for Russia to offer the swap of the century whereby it publicly proposes trading detained Western mercenaries from the US and UK for Assange.

Two Brits were already just sentenced to death while it can’t be ruled out that the two Americans who were just captured will face the same fate following their upcoming trials. These four figures in and of themselves aren’t anyone anywhere near as important as Assange is, but the fact that they might all face the firing squad has generated global attention and prompted a lot of controversy in their home countries. The Anglo-American Axis is known for its ruthlessness, especially in terms of how it exploits its citizens as pawns only to discard them once their strategic utility has expired like those four foreign fighters’ already has. Nevertheless, many of their compatriots passionately detest this cold approach.

By publicly proposing the swap of the century – these four detained Western mercenaries in exchange for Assange – Russia would simultaneously accomplish several strategic objectives. First, it would make the most realistic attempt yet to free this global icon of free speech and independent journalism. Second, this would powerfully counteract the false claims from the US-led Western Mainstream Media (MSM) that Russia is a so-called “dictatorship” that doesn’t sincerely support everything that Assange represents. Third, it could inspire peaceful protests organized in accordance with American and British laws in support of this proposal, which could put grassroots pressure upon them to agree to this.

Fourth, those two governments’ likely refusal to comply with the terms of Russia’s swap of the century would expose their fiery hatred of the two things that Assange represents, free speech and independent journalism. And fifth, the US and UK would basically be admitting to their own citizens that they’d rather that they be put to death by firing squad in Donbass than save their lives by trading them for Assange. That final outcome would be the last nail in the coffin of their reputation in the public eye since people would now know that their authorities can’t be counted upon to save their lives if they get captured and sentenced to death for fighting in the same proxy war that the US and UK are waging against Russia.

All told, the swap of the century is a win-win for Russia in all respects. It could indeed be such for the US and UK too if their governments are mindful enough of global perceptions and especially domestic ones to seriously consider this pragmatic proposal, but their ideologically driven hatred of everything that Assange represents might blind them to this reality. Be that as it may, there’s no harm in trying, which is why Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Zakharova should consider floating this proposal during one of her upcoming press conferences. It would irreversibly shape global perceptions about her country and those two, not to mention possibly even saving the lives of five people, one of whom is indisputably innocent.