Alexander Vinnik, a Russian cybercrime boss who was serving a prison sentence in the U.S., will be released in exchange for the return of American teacher Marc Fogel, Reuters reported on Feb. 12, citing an unnamed U.S. official.
Trump praised Russian President Vladimir Putin for agreeing to the deal and called it a step toward brokering a peace deal in Ukraine.
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Russia's Sovereign Wealth Fund Chief Kirill Dmitriev arranged the exchange, Reuters reported, citing a source close to the negotiations.
Vinnik was detained in Greece in 2017 at the request of the U.S., who accused Vinnik of laundering at least $4 billion dollars in proceeds from ransomware attacks, identity theft, drug rings, and other criminal activity through the cryptocurrency exchange BTC-e.
Vinnik must forfeit over $100 million to the U.S. government and is currently in northern California awaiting transfer back to Russia. The official, who spoke to Reuters on condition of anonymity, did not specify when Vinnik was to travel to Russia.
Fogel is a 63-year-old schoolteacher who was serving a 14-year sentence after being detained at a Russian airport in 2021 for possessing medical marijuana. He was flown out of Russia on Feb. 11 by U.S. President Donald Trump's envoy Steve Witkoff.
Three people were also released from prison in Belarus on Feb. 12, the Trump administration announced. One American whose name was undisclosed and two others, journalist for Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty Andrei Kuznechyk and Alena Maushuk, were released by the Belarusian government.
Kateryna Hodunova
