The United States has agreed to release Russian national Alexander Vinnik as part of a prisoner exchange that secured the return of American schoolteacher Marc Fogel. The White House confirmed Vinnik’s identity and his impending release to the BBC.
Vinnik, the operator of cryptocurrency exchange BTC-e, was arrested in Greece in 2017 at the request of US authorities. He faced 21 charges related to laundering billions of dollars through Bitcoin, with prosecutors alleging he facilitated cybercrimes such as ransomware attacks, identity theft, corruption, and drug trafficking. According to the US Justice Department, BTC-e enabled criminals worldwide to launder illicit funds due to its lack of anti-money laundering (AML) and Know Your Customer (KYC) compliance measures, which are mandated under US federal law. Investigators estimated that BTC-e was responsible for the loss of approximately $121 million. Vinnik pleaded guilty in May of last year and was facing up to 20 years in prison when sentenced.
Separately, on Wednesday, the White House announced that Belarus had released three detainees following negotiations led by a US representative in Minsk. Among them was American journalist Andrey Kuznechyk, who worked for US government-funded broadcaster Radio Liberty (Radio Free Europe). Kuznechyk, a father of two, was arrested in November 2021 on hooliganism charges and sentenced to 10 days in prison. Before his release, he was charged with creating an extremist group and sentenced to six years. Radio Liberty confirmed his release, calling it a “joyous” occasion. Radio Liberty’s president, Stephen Capus, stated that the Belarusian government had not demanded anything in exchange for the release. He described it as a goodwill gesture by Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko and noted that further discussions are ongoing to secure the release of additional detainees, including another Radio Liberty journalist still imprisoned.
US Envoy for Hostages Adam Boehler, in an interview with CNN, revealed that Belarus had also released another American detainee the previous week, who has since returned to Texas. Boehler emphasized that no concessions were made to Belarus and suggested that Lukashenko’s decision to release the detainees was an attempt to curry favor with former US President Donald Trump. Boehler urged the leaders of Venezuela, Iran, and Gaza to follow suit and release Americans held in detention. However, it remains unclear whether the Belarusian releases were directly linked to the US-Russia prisoner swap involving Vinnik and Fogel. This latest diplomatic maneuver highlights the complex international negotiations surrounding detainees and political prisoners, as well as the evolving geopolitical dynamics between the US, Russia, and Belarus.
