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Voice of America
14-02-2025
- Politics
- Voice of America
Russian Vinnik back in Moscow after prisoner swap, news agency says
Alexander Vinnik, a Russian national convicted of cybercrime and released by U.S. authorities as part of a prisoner swap, arrived in Moscow on Thursday and thanked President Vladimir Putin and others for arranging the exchange, state news agency RIA said. Vinnik, who pleaded guilty in May 2024 to charges of conspiracy to commit money laundering, told RIA in a dispatch issued after midnight that he was at home with his family. He said he had flown on a U.S. plane that stopped in Poland and not in Turkey as his lawyer had said. Quoted by RIA, Vinnik thanked Putin, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, Russian diplomats and special services, his lawyers "and especially my family." He added: "What can I say? And I can also thank [U.S. President Donald] Trump. On the whole, without him, things would probably have been difficult." Leonid Slutsky, head of the foreign affairs committee of Russia's State Duma, the lower house of parliament, told the Tass news agency that Vinnik's return home was "yet another victory for Russian diplomacy and all services and agencies associated with his liberation." Unlike previous instances of Russians returning home after a prisoner swap, there was little fanfare around Vinnik's arrival. Vinnik operated a cryptocurrency exchange, BTC-e, through which he was suspected of funneling $4 billion in proceeds from ransomware attacks, identity theft, drug rings and other criminal activity. He was freed by the United States from prison in return for Moscow's release of American schoolteacher Marc Fogel, who returned home on Tuesday.
Yahoo
13-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Crypto kingpin Alexander Vinnik handed over to Russia: US official
The United States has released Russian cryptocurrency kingpin Alexander Vinnik, as part of an exchange deal that saw Moscow free US teacher Marc Fogel, a senior US official said Thursday. The official told AFP that Vinnik, who pleded guilty in May 2024 to conspiracy to commit money laundering, "was handed over to Russian officials." US President Donald Trump's government has hailed the prisoner exchange as a positive sign for diplomacy between the two countries and for possible negotiations over an end to the Ukraine war. Trump's overtures to Putin in particular have caused alarm in Europe, which has viewed Russia as a major threat since the invasion of Ukraine. Trump revealed Wednesday he expected to meet Putin in Saudi Arabia for Ukraine peace talks, in a sudden thaw in relations. Vinnik was extradited to the United States from Greece in August 2022, hours after he had been released from a French jail. He was the operator of BTC-e, one of the world's largest cryptocurrency exchanges that processed more than $9 billion in transactions, according to US court documents. The US Justice Department had previously called the exchange "one of the primary ways by which cyber criminals around the world transferred, laundered, and stored the criminal proceeds of their illegal activities." aue/md/bfm/md
Yahoo
13-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Russian crypto expert Alexander Vinnik returns to Moscow in Russia-US prisoner swap, reports say
MOSCOW (AP) — Alexander Vinnik, a Russian cryptocurrency expert who faced Bitcoin fraud charges in the United States, returned to Russia on Thursday after being freed in a swap that saw Moscow release American Marc Fogel, Russian news agencies reported. Alexander Vinnik arrived in Moscow on a flight from Turkey, where he was flown after being released from custody in California, Russia's state Tass and RIA-Novosti news agencies reported, citing Russian aviation officials and his lawyer. Vinnik, who operated cryptocurrency exchange BTC-e, was arrested in 2017 in Greece at the request of the U.S. on cryptocurrency fraud charges and was later extradited to the United States where he pleaded guilty last year to conspiracy to commit money laundering. See for yourself — The Yodel is the go-to source for daily news, entertainment and feel-good stories. By signing up, you agree to our Terms and Privacy Policy. Steve Witkoff, a special envoy for U.S. President Donald Trump, left Russia with Fogel earlier in the week and brought him to the White House, where Trump greeted him on Tuesday. Fogel, an American history teacher who was deemed wrongfully detained by Russia, was arrested in August 2021 for possession of marijuana and was serving a 14-year prison sentence. The White House said his release was part of a diplomatic thaw that could advance negotiations to end the fighting in Ukraine. Speaking to reporters on Tuesday, Trump suggested that prisoner swap could help anchor a peace deal on Ukraine, saying: 'We were treated very nicely by Russia, actually. I hope that's the beginning of a relationship where we can end that war.' The following day, Trump and Putin had a lengthy phone call to discuss Ukraine and other issues.
The Hill
13-02-2025
- Business
- The Hill
Russian crypto expert Alexander Vinnik returns to Moscow in Russia-US prisoner swap, reports say
MOSCOW (AP) — Alexander Vinnik, a Russian cryptocurrency expert who faced Bitcoin fraud charges in the United States, returned to Russia on Thursday after being freed in a swap that saw Moscow release American Marc Fogel, Russian news agency reported. Alexander Vinnik arrived in Moscow on a flight from Turkey, where he was flown after being released from custody in California, Russia's state Tass and RIA-Novosti news agencies reported, citing his lawyer. Vinnik, who operated cryptocurrency exchange BTC-e, was arrested in 2017 in Greece at the request of the U.S. on cryptocurrency fraud charges and was later extradited to the United States where he pleaded guilty last year to conspiracy to commit money laundering. Steve Witkoff, a special envoy for U.S. President Donald Trump, left Russia with Fogel earlier in the week and brought him to the White House, where Trump greeted him on Tuesday.
The Independent
13-02-2025
- Business
- The Independent
Russian crypto expert Alexander Vinnik returns to Moscow in Russia-US prisoner swap, reports say
Alexander Vinnik, a Russian cryptocurrency expert who faced Bitcoin fraud charges in the United States, returned to Russia on Thursday after being freed in a swap that saw Moscow release American Marc Fogel, Russian news agency reported. Alexander Vinnik arrived in Moscow on a flight from Turkey, where he was flown after being released from custody in California, Russia's state Tass and RIA-Novosti news agencies reported, citing his lawyer. Vinnik, who operated cryptocurrency exchange BTC-e, was arrested in 2017 in Greece at the request of the U.S. on cryptocurrency fraud charges and was later extradited to the United States where he pleaded guilty last year to conspiracy to commit money laundering. Steve Witkoff, a special envoy for U.S. President Donald Trump, left Russia with Fogel earlier in the week and brought him to the White House, where Trump greeted him on Tuesday.
