Media finds out who Trump agreed to return to Russia in exchange for Fogel

The media found out who Trump agreed to return to Russia in exchange for Fogel Margarita Voloshina

The United States returned Mark Fogel from a Russian prison as part of an exchange on Tuesday, February 11. At first, it was not reported who Washington gave to Moscow in exchange, but the media found out the name of the Russian.

Russia has received back its citizen Alexander Vinnik. This was reported by 24 Channel with reference to the New York Post, which received confirmation from the White House.

Who was exchanged for Fogel

The United States agreed to return Russian cybercriminal Alexander Vinnik in exchange for the freed American school teacher Mark Fogel. Vinnik was arrested in Greece in 2017 and later extradited to the United States.

There, in May 2024, he pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit money laundering. Note that since 2023, Vinnik and his lawyers have openly declared their interest in a potential prisoner exchange.

Earlier, it was reported that Vinnik ran the BTC-e cryptocurrency exchange, and investigators found that he laundered $4 billion in funds obtained through ransomware attacks, identity theft, drug trafficking rings, and other criminal activity.

Recall that after Vogel's dismissal, Trump said that Russia had behaved “very well” and that this would be the way to end the war in Ukraine. National Security Adviser Mike Volz added that the exchange demonstrates “Russian goodwill”