Rumours of a major prisoner release from Belarus had been swirling for a couple of days. But no one would reveal the names on the list, or the exact number, until everyone was safely out, finally free.
In total, 123 political prisoners have been released, including some of the best-known names among Belarusian opposition politicians, human rights activists, and journalists.
Maria Kolesnikova, the protest leader with a famous red-lipsticked smile, was on the release list. A video of her jumping for joy and hugging other former prisoners, overjoyed to be reunited, was soon flying around social media. Then came another, on a bus out of Belarus, where she thanked everyone who'd helped bring this moment about.
It's a feeling of incredible happiness to see those who are dear to me, to hug them and realise we are all free, Masha, as she's best known, told the camera, her lips already painted red again. The first sunset of her freedom was a thing of great beauty, she said.
Out too is Viktor Babaryka, a banker who tried to run for president in 2020 but was locked up before the elections even began. The Nobel Peace Prize winner Ales Bialiatski has also been released from a 10-year sentence.
All were imprisoned for their opposition to the authoritarian rule of Alexander Lukashenko, whose security forces crushed the mass protests of 2020 with brutal force. The prisoners' release now is the result of long and complex negotiations led by the US that culminated in a two-day visit to Minsk this week by Donald Trump's new special envoy, John Coale.
For Lukashenko, that engagement itself is a win: after years as a political pariah in the West he is clearly happy to be back on talking terms with the US. But he also got US sanctions dropped on a key export for his country, potash, as a further, more tangible reward. EU penalties - and tougher policies - are still in place.
The dozens of prisoners Lukashenko agreed to let go were always expected to come to Vilnius, Lithuania, where a crowd of friends, relatives, and fellow activists gathered outside the US embassy in the freezing cold to greet them.
Some came wrapped in the red and white opposition flag of Belarus. Tatsiana Khomich, Masha Kolesnikova's sister who had campaigned for over five years for her release, couldn't stop smiling. I've just spoken to Masha, she told me after a video call.
Suddenly, there was a commotion in the crowd: a police car, blue lights flashing, was heading towards the US embassy gates, leading a small convoy of other vehicles. But there was no way all 123 ex-prisoners were inside. Instead, we learned, just seven foreign nationals had been brought to Lithuania and only Ales Bialiatski of the Belarusians.
But what of the price paid for that moment? Tikhanovskaya is a friend and political ally of Masha Kolesnikova, but she always calls for maximum pressure on Lukashenko by the West. This is a process of negotiation. Of course, it would be good for us if nothing is given to Lukashenko, because all those people are hostages of his regime. They are innocent. But this is how negotiation goes, she replied.
After a short time inside the US embassy, Ales Bialiatski emerged onto the street to ecstatic cheers from the crowd. Gaunt, head shaven, and still in his padded blue prison jacket, he admitted his head was spinning from all the sensations after four years in jail.
When I asked what he wanted now most of all he didn't hesitate: I want to see my wife! Then, lifting the red and white flag from his shoulders, he had a message for Belarusians everywhere. Optimism and activism, Ales Bialiatski told them, with a sudden smile. Never give up!
