[ad_1]
On July 19, 2024, Evan Gershkovich was tried at the Sverdlovsk Regional Court in Yekaterinburg. Anton Busenko/Sputnik/SIPA
Free entry
In what would be one of the most significant deals since the Cold War, the Kremlin and the West have agreed to a major prisoner swap that would include the release of journalist Evan Gershkovich and several other Americans. Detained in Russia since 2023US media including this agency reported on Thursday, August 1 Bloomberg.
Wall Street Journal reporter arrested in March 2023 and subsequently convicted“spy” On July 19, a Russian court ordered that he be detained in a Russian penal colony. “Strict diet”. CNN In addition to Evan Gershkovich, Russia and the United States have reportedly reached an agreement on the release of other Americans, including former Marine Paul Whelan.
For his part, ABC Other Western countries were guaranteed to be involved in the exchange, but the news has not been confirmed by U.S. or Russian officials, and the Kremlin declined to comment early Thursday.
First prisoner exchange since late 2022
For days, speculation that a deal was imminent had been rife after several Russian prisoners disappeared from their penal colonies, an unusual occurrence.
If the prisoner swap takes place, it would be the first between Moscow and the West since the December 2022 release of Brittney Griner, an American basketball player who had been detained in Russia on suspicion of drug crimes. Viktor Bout, a famous Russian arms dealerimprisoned in the United States.
READ ALSO
American basketball player Brittney Griner released from Russia, arrives safely in the U.S.
Free entry
The United States pressured Moscow to release journalist Evan Gershkovich, who was convicted after a speedy trial on charges that were never proven. Joe Biden pledges that Washington will continue to work “work hard” to obtain his release.
Kremlin releases several Russian opponents
A plane previously used to exchange Britney Greene and Viktor Bout left Moscow for the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad on Thursday morning before returning to Russia later that morning, according to flight tracking service Flightradar24.
Russian opponents Ilya Yashin, Oleg Orlov and Vladimir Kara-Murza It should also be affected by this exchange. There are reports that Ilia Iachine is about to exchange with Ilia Iachine, but her mother Tatiana Iachina told AFP on Thursday morning that “We don’t know anything yet” Absolutely.
Tatiana Kasatkina, the wife of dissident Oleg Orlov, told AFP she was awaiting news of the swap. Alexeï Navalny, who died in prison in FebruaryLilia Tchanycheva and Ksenia Fadeïeva are no longer in detention.
READ ALSO
file Alexey Navalny, the last words of a man sentenced to death
subscriber
Artist Alexandra Skotchilenko, who was sentenced to seven years in prison for replacing supermarket price tags with messages condemning the offensive against Ukraine, has also been transferred from a St. Petersburg prison, her supporters said.
Kevin Lik, a 19-year-old German-Russian national, was convicted of “Treason”He was also removed from exile, independent media outlet SotaVision reported on Tuesday. The same situation is facing activist Daniil Krinari, who was exiled for “Cooperation with Ukraine”according to rights NGO OVD-Info.
German Rico Krieger sentenced to death after being found guilty in Belarus “terrorism”He could also be the subject of a deal after being pardoned by President Alexander Lukashenko this week.
Release Russians detained in Berlin or Washington
In exchange, Moscow should hand over Vadim Krassikov, a suspected Russian agent imprisoned in Germany for the 2019 assassination of a former Chechen separatist commander in Berlin.
READ ALSO
investigation ‘One of the most serious threats France has ever faced’: Russia’s unprecedented offensive against democracies
subscriber
Other Russians who may be affected include Alexander Vinnik, a computer scientist accused of running BTC-e, a cryptocurrency exchange that allegedly laundered billions of dollars in criminal proceeds.
They could also include Vladislav Kliouchine, an entrepreneur who provided media and social network monitoring services and was convicted of fraud in the United States, and Vadim Konochtchenok, who was accused of supplying Russia with American-made semiconductors and munitions.
[ad_2]
Source link
