A “sleeper cell” couple, prolific cybercriminals and an assassin are among the Russians released in a major prisoner swap with the West.
The US and Russia completed their biggest prisoner swap in post-Soviet history on Thursday in a multinational deal that set two dozen people free.
Among those Moscow released were Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, security consultant Paul Whelan, who has Irish and British citizenship, and dissidents including Russian-British national Vladimir Kara-Murza, a Kremlin critic.
Here are the eight prisoners returned to Russia – and what they were accused of:
Vadim Krasikov
Image: Hitman Vadim Krasikov is now back in Russia. Pic: Reuters
Krasikov is the most high-profile inmate returned to Russia after being convicted in 2021 of shooting dead a Georgian dissident in a Berlin park two years before.
He used a gun with a silencer for the murder and was seen throwing the weapon, as well as a bike and a wig, into a river.
The victim was Zelimkhan “Tornike” Khangoshvili, who fought against Russia in the Chechnya war before seeking asylum in Germany.
Image: Russian President Vladimir Putin welcomes back killer Krasikov. Pic: AP
Krasikov, a colonel in Russia’s security agency, was arrested before he could escape.
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German authorities said he acted for Russian authorities, also receiving funding and a fake identity.
The 58-year-old was among those greeted by Russian President Vladimir Putin on the runway as he landed back in his home country.
Throughout the negotiations, Moscow had been persistent in pressing for his release, with Mr Putin himself raising it.
Vladislav Klyushin
Image: Vladislav Klyushin is said to have made $33m in a hacking scheme. Pic: Reuters
Klyushin was sentenced to nine years in 2023 after making an estimated $33m for himself in a $100m hacking scheme that relied on stealing secret earnings information.
The scheme used the insider data to make trades – and big profits – on Wall Street before the information went public.
Image: Some of the Russians released under the prisoner exchange arrive in Moscow. Pic: Sputnik/Kirill Zykov/Pool via Reuters
The 43-year businessman was arrested when his private jet landed in the Swiss alps in 2021 and later extradited to the US on fraud charges.
He has ties to the Kremlin through his Moscow cybersecurity company M13, which provided services to the Russian government.
Roman Seleznev
Image: Roman Seleznev was serving the longest-ever cybercrime jail sentence in the US. Pic: AP/DOJ
A prolific cybercriminal, Seleznev stole millions of credit card numbers from hundreds of firms and sold the details online.
He’s getting out of prison several decades early from the 27-year term handed down in 2017 – the longest-ever cybercrime sentence in the US.
The sentence included $170m in restitution for his victims.
Seleznev – who was extradited from the Maldives in 2014 – also has links to the Russian ruling class through his politician father.
Artem Dultsev and Anna Dultseva
Image: Vladimir Putin walks behind Russian nationals Artyom Dultsev, Anna Dultseva and their children following the prisoner exchange. Pic:Sputnik/Reuters
The Russian “sleeper cell” couple were arrested on spying charges in the Slovenian capital Ljubljana in 2022 after posing as Argentine citizens.
They had allegedly used the city as a base since 2017, travelling to nearby countries to pass on Moscow’s orders to other spies.
The couple – who have two children – pleaded guilty on Wednesday and were given a 19-month sentence, but freed based on time already served.
Vadim Konoshchenok
Image: Vadim Konoshchenok was extradited from Estonia to the US last year. Pic: DOJ
The suspected officer in Russia’s Federal Security Service was extradited from Estonia to the US last year.
He was accused of smuggling ammunition and dual-use technology (which can be used for civilian and military purposes) to help Russia’s war against Ukraine.
Prosecutors said he was detained in 2022 while trying to travel from Estonia to Russia with several dozen types of semiconductors and electrical components.
Pavel Rubtsov
Image: An image of Pavel Rubtsov, known as Pablo Gonzalez, shown by his wife Oihana Goiriena in Nabarniz, Spain. Pic: Reuters
Rubtsov was one of several people being held in Poland on espionage charges, accused of spying for Russia since the start of the Ukraine invasion.
Going under the name Pablo Gonzalez, Polish authorities say he used Spanish-Russian dual nationality and work as a journalist as cover.
Mikhail Mikushin
Mikushin masqueraded as a Brazilian national, according to Norway’s security agency PST, working as a lecturer at the Arctic University of Norway in Tromso until arrested on suspicion of spying for Russia in October 2022.
Prosecutors later said his true identity was Mikhail Mikushin from Russia.
Source : Sky News
