Several Russian inmates mysteriously disappear from US prison database amid speculations of potential prisoner swap
Several Russians serving sentences in the United States have vanished from the American prison database, reports the news portal Meduza, citing lawyer Igor Slabykh and the Russian news agency RIA Novosti.
Among those missing from the records of the Federal Bureau of Prisons are Vladislav Klyushin, serving a nine-year term for hacking and insider trading. Meduza points out that Klyushin's name had come up during discussions about a possible exchange involving Alexei Navalny.
Additional omissions include Alexander Vinnik, accused of laundering $4 billion through the BTC-e cryptocurrency exchange (awaiting sentence), Maxim Marchenko (three-year sentence for smuggling dual-use microelectronics to Russia), Vadim Konoshchenko (suspected FSB officer accused of smuggling American products to Russia), and cyber fraudster Roman Seleznev (son of Russian Duma deputy Valery Seleznev). However, information on other Russian inmates, such as hacker Vladimir Dunaev, remains available.
RIA Novosti sought clarification from the Federal Bureau of Prisons and the US State Department but received no response.
The disappearance of data on these Russian inmates happens amid reports that seven political prisoners have vanished from Russian penal colonies. Additionally, today, it was revealed that opposition figure Vladimir Kara-Murza was removed from his colony. Moreover, the lawyer for American Paul Whelan, convicted of espionage in Russia, stated she doesn't know his current whereabouts in the Mordovia penal colony. She noted rumors of a potential exchange, but had no confirmation.
Radio Free Europe's Russian service speculates that these developments might indicate preparations for a prisoner swap. The outlet recalls that Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko recently met with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Following this meeting, Belarusian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Anatoly Glaz announced ongoing negotiations with Berlin regarding Krieger and proposed "specific solutions."
Talks of exchanging foreign nationals imprisoned in Russia with Russians held abroad intensified after the expedited trial of Wall Street Journal journalist Evan Gershkovich. On July 19, the Sverdlovsk Regional Court sentenced him to 16 years in a high-security colony. However, as early as September last year, reports emerged suggesting Gershkovich, Whelan, and opposition politician Alexei Navalny might be swapped for Vadim Krasikov, serving a life sentence in a German prison for the murder of former Chechen field commander Zelimkhan Khangoshvili, a Georgian citizen. Some experts believe returning Krasikov to Russia has become a matter of considerable importance for the Kremlin leader.