Russia to swap WSJ reporter Gershkovich for BTC-e founder Vinnik, report

Russia is reportedly set to swap two prisoners — a Wall Street Journal reporter and a former US marine — for a number of Russians held by the US and its allies, including the operator of the BTC-e crypto exchange, Alexander Vinnik.

Bloomberg reported today that journalist Evan Gershkovich and Marine Paul Whelan are en route to locations outside of Russia.

According to a report from Business Insider that cites state-run Russian outlet TASS, Vinnik, Vladislav Klyushin, Vadim Konoschenko, and Maxim Marchenko, will be sent in the other direction and their names have now been removed from the FBI electronic database.

Read more: No, Russia did not just lift its ban on domestic crypto use

In May this year, Vinnik pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit money laundering while working at BTC-e. He was responsible for the loss of around $121 million and encouraged criminals to use the platform to launder and store their illegal proceeds.

It was reported in May that Vinnik was optimistic of a prisoner swap deal. Indeed, filings by his lawyer discuss how “he has been the subject of political negotiations over a prisoner swap with Russia at the highest levels of the government.”

Gershkovich and Whelan were both arrested on espionage charges in March 2023 and December 2020 respectively. The US denies these charges.

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