Recovery follows: Russia and the U.S. continue dialog on prisoners
Moscow and Washington are in contact on the topic of detainees, the US Embassy in Russia told Izvestiya. Russian diplomatic circles also said earlier that the topic of detainee exchange remains on the agenda in relations between the two countries. At the same time, the media are now actively discussing the possibility of another major operation in February 2025, after the inauguration of Donald Trump. The largest such exchange between Russia and the West since the Cold War took place on August 1. Who can get on the new list and how it affects the bilateral relations of states - in the exclusive material of Izvestia.
Dialogue between Russia and the United States on prisoners
Russia and the United States continue to maintain contacts on prisoners. This was reported to "Izvestia" in the American embassy in Moscow.
- Washington representatives interact with their Russian counterparts on many consular issues, including the issues of citizens in prison," the diplomatic mission said.
At the same time, the US embassy did not talk about a possible exchange between the two countries. "Due to the sensitive nature, we cannot comment or speculate on the topic of potential negotiations," they explained there.
The topic of a prisoner exchange remains on the agenda of relations between Moscow and Washington, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said earlier.
"Its sensitivity is obvious. The resonant exchange that took place - the last or, as colleagues in the departments say, the extreme exchange - it showed that we can find effective solutions even to the most complex, confusing, multifaceted problem situations, which were not even two capitals, but much more. And this is also possible if there is political will," he said.
The media wrote that the potential exchange could take place already under Donald Trump. Neither the US nor the Russian side has officially commented on this. However, such a move looks quite logical. During his election campaign, Trump declared his readiness to establish a dialog with Moscow. And such an exchange could become a good ground for further dialog between Russia and the United States on other issues.
Such actions contribute to a kind of détente in relations between the two countries. Despite the colossal escalation between Russia and the United States, especially against the backdrop of the Ukrainian conflict, the exchanges at least make it clear that contacts between the two countries remain at the highest level. However, they cannot be unequivocally called indicators of the normalization of bilateral relations.
- We also exchange prisoners of war with Ukraine. Here we are talking about purely mutual interest. In order to normalize relations, we need more fundamental reasons, a global negotiation process. If we want to talk about breakthroughs in U.S.-Russian relations, we need to address more global topics or at least some regional ones. It is important to pay attention to issues of strategic and economic stability," believes Konstantin Blokhin, a leading researcher at the Center for Security Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences.
Indeed, past prisoner exchanges took place under the Biden administration, and they did not contribute to the normalization of relations. Such exchanges, in fact, do not depend much on who holds power in Washington.
- Regardless of who is in the White House, this work is very complex, planned and systematic. There's a lot of nuance involved, from the massive preparation of documentation to the selection of candidates for the exchange fund. I do not think that Donald Trump will come to power and one day make this or that decision on the exchange," Konstantin Blokhin added.
Russian Alexander Vinnik and his lawyer Timofei Musatov after a court session. Vinnik was detained in Greece on July 25, 2017 at the request of the United States. 2019
Dozens of Russian citizens are now in US prisons, many of them are being held in cases of financial fraud and hacking. Among them, for example, Alexander Vinnik, who is accused of laundering from $4 billion to $9 billion through a now-defunct online cryptocurrency exchange. He is awaiting the final verdict. As the lawyer Arkady Bukh told "Izvestia", his client pleaded guilty and is waiting for the decision of the court of California in January 2025. At the same time, the probability of Vinnik's exchange was previously extremely low, as the U.S. usually does not exchange citizens before the verdict.
It is also worth mentioning Pavel Kublitsky, who was allegedly linked to hackers and actively engaged in cyber fraud, or Denis Postovoy, who was arrested in the case of supplies of military microelectronics from the United States to Russia. Artur Petrov, who was arrested in Cyprus in 2023 at the request of the US side, was also accused of illegal export of microelectronics. There are a number of other Russians who could return to the Russian Federation under the new deal.
The US could theoretically return Joseph Tater, who attacked a police officer and renounced US citizenship, or Gordon Black, who received a three-year prison sentence for theft, as well as ballerina Ksenia Khavana (has US citizenship, she transferred money to the AFU, arrested in Yekaterinburg). In addition, the media reports about the desire of Western countries to secure the release from colonies of some minor citizens of the Russian Federation who have been accused of terrorist acts and sabotage on Russian territory. But such an exchange would require the consent of their parents for transportation to Europe.
It is noteworthy that during the campaign in the States, Trump criticized the actions of Joe Biden and Kamala Harris, which led, in his opinion, to one of the most "disgraceful" exchanges in American history. His main complaint was that its implementation was more in the interests of the Russian Federation than the United States. At the same time, he did not say how his administration intends to approach the problem. Against the backdrop of such statements, it is possible that with Trump's arrival, the exchange will not eventually take place.
High-profile exchanges between Russia and the US
Despite the unprecedented escalation in Russian-American relations, Moscow and Washington conducted a number of high-profile exchanges during the Joe Biden administration. The largest of them, and the largest overall since the Cold War, took place on August 1 of this year. Other countries involved were Belarus, Slovenia, Norway and Poland. Turkey acted as a mediator. But it was Washington and Moscow that made the main contribution, including to the exchange fund. A total of 26 people were included, 10 of whom returned to Russia.
Russians returned after the exchange at Vnukovo-2 airport. August 1, 2024
According to the deal, Roman Seleznev, Vadim Krasikov, Pavel Rubtsov, Mikhail Mikushin, Vladislav Klyushin, Vadim Konoschenok, as well as Artem and Anna Dultsev and their two minor children ended up back home. All the returned Russians were personally met at the airport by Russian President Vladimir Putin, Defense Ministry head Andrei Belousov, FSB director Alexander Bortnikov and SVR chief Sergei Naryshkin. The head of state promised to present each of the returnees, who were directly related to military service, with state awards.
American journalist of The Wall Street Journal Evan Gershkovich, former Marine Paul Whelan, Ilya Yashin (recognized in the Russian Federation as a foreign agent), Alsu Kurmasheva, Vladimir Kara-Murza (recognized in the Russian Federation as a foreign agent), Demuri Voronin, Kevin Leek, Lilia Chanysheva, Alexandra Skochilenko, Vadim Ostanin, Ksenia Fadeeva, Oleg Orlov (recognized in the Russian Federation as a foreign agent) and Andrei Pivovarov were handed over to Western countries. German citizen Rico Krieger, previously sentenced to death, but then pardoned by Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko, was also included in the exchange fund.
Pilot Konstantin Yaroshenko at Vnukovo airport. April 27, 2022
Prisoner exchanges also took place in 2022, although not so massive. In April of that year, pilot Konstantin Yaroshenko, who had spent 12 years in prison (having been sentenced to 20), returned to Russia. The American side accused him of smuggling narcotic drugs. Trevor Reed, an American convicted in the Russian Federation for attacking our law enforcement officers, also went to the United States. In the same year, Viktor Bout, known in the United States by his nickname "the arms baron", also returned to Russia. He was detained in 2008 in Thailand at the request of the American side. He was extradited to the U.S. in 2010, and two years later he received 25 years in prison on charges of arms trafficking and supporting terrorist activities. He was exchanged for basketball player Brittney Griner, who was sentenced to nine years in Russia for drug smuggling.
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