Two months into Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Turkey was thrusting itself into the secret world of hostage brokering, orchestrating a carefully choreographed exchange between two hostile powers. There were to be no news cameras, no last-minute delays or changes to the flight manifests-and no guns. Neither jet, he warned, would have permission to land until their crews ticked off a checklist that included taking and texting him photos of every passenger on board. In the cockpits of each jet, pilots were navigating through thick clouds toward a cordoned-off area of Turkey’s capital city airport, when the officer’s voice issued directives over a secure line.