Prisoner Exchange Between Russia and the USA

An aircraft carrying Russian national Alexander Vinnik, who was freed as part of a prisoner exchange for American Mark Fogel, landed at Moscow's Vnukovo Airport. Vinnik expressed his gratitude to Russian President Vladimir Putin and everyone involved in his return home, reports NewsBox.

On February 13, a plane with Russian Alexander Vinnik onboard landed at Moscow's Vnukovo Airport. Vinnik returned to his homeland as part of a prisoner exchange between Russia and the USA. He was released from an American prison after several years of imprisonment. Vinnik thanked Russian President Vladimir Putin and everyone involved in his release and return to Russia.

Alexander Vinnik was detained in Greece in 2017 at the request of US authorities, who accused him of laundering billions of dollars through the cryptocurrency platform BTC-e. He was later extradited to France, and then to the USA, where he was under investigation but no final verdict was given.

The exchange took place on February 11: In response to Vinnik's release, US authorities returned Mark Fogel to his homeland. Fogel, a US citizen and a former embassy employee, was arrested in Russia in 2021 for drug smuggling. He was found with marijuana and hashish oil, which he claimed were for medical purposes. In 2022, Fogel was sentenced to 14 years in prison.

After the exchange, a US Air Force passenger plane departed from Vnukovo, presumably transporting Fogel back to the United States. American authorities welcomed his release, noting that this step could potentially improve diplomatic relations between the two countries.