White House Confirms Swap: Alexander Vinnik Returns to Russia, American Teacher Mark Vogel FreeThe United States and Russia have reached an agreement on a prisoner swap. The White House has officially confirmed the extradition of one of the former heads of the BTC-e cryptocurrency exchange, Alexander Vinnik, to Russia. In exchange, Moscow agreed to release American citizen Mark Vogel, who was previously convicted in Russia on charges of drug smuggling. Information about this exchange was published in the New York Post, citing a statement from a White House spokesman. 

Alexander Vinnik is a well-known figure in the world of cybercrime and cryptocurrency. His arrest in 2017 in Greece at the request of the US authorities was one of the key events in the history of the fight against money laundering through crypto exchanges. Vinnik was accused of creating a scheme to launder billions of dollars using the BTC-e platform, which operated outside the framework of international financial control standards. He was later extradited to France and then to the US, where he faced a lengthy trial. 

American teacher Mark Vogel, whose release was part of the swap, was detained in Russia in August 2021. He was arrested at Moscow’s Sheremetyevo Airport after medical marijuana was found in his luggage during a search. Although Vogel claimed he was using it as prescribed by a doctor to treat chronic pain, Russian authorities charged him with smuggling and sentenced him to 14 years in prison. Vogel’s case has sparked widespread public outcry in the United States and calls for his release from American diplomats and human rights groups. 

The exchange of Alexander Vinnik for Mark Vogel was another episode in a series of prisoner return deals between Russia and the United States. Earlier, in December 2022, Washington and Moscow had already carried out a prisoner exchange: then American basketball player Brittney Griner was released, and in return Russia received the release of Viktor Bout, known as the "merchant of death".