Media: Russia willing to exchange Sentsov for Russians convicted in US
Russia is prepared to release the Ukrainian political prisoner Oleh Sentsov to mainland Ukraine. However, they will only do so if the US hands over two convicted Russians, Viktor Bout and Konstantin Yaroshenko, and releases Maria Butina, who was arrested in the US this summer, reported Novaya Gazeta with reference to an unidentified source supposedly connected to the relevant negotiations. Russia is prepared to discuss such an exchange without Ukraine’s involvement.
Novaya Gazeta asked Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova to comment, but she replied that she knows nothing about the situation.
Ukrainian filmmaker Oleh Sentsov, who was sentenced to 20 years of prison in Russia, is currently held at the Labytnangi prison. On May 14 he announced that he was going on a hunger strike, demanding that Russia release all Ukrainian political prisoners.
Viktor Bout is a Russian businessman who was sentenced to 25 years of prison in 2012 for intending to trade weapons and support terrorism.
Konstantin Yaroshenko is a Russian pilot who featured in a diplomatic scandal between the US and Russia. On May 28, 2010, he was arrested in Liberia as part of operation “Relentless” on charges of preparing to transport large batches of cocaine. On September 7, 2011, he was sent to the US, where he was sentenced to 20 years of imprisonment.
Maria Butina is an activist, entrepreneur, publicist and chairwoman of the Russian international public organization “Right to a weapon”. She made global news when she was arrested in Washington in June this year on charges of being connected to Russian intelligence and working as an unlicensed foreign agent in the US.
A photograph of Oleh Sentsov was recently published on the official website of the Russian Federal Penitentiary Service.