The U.S. Government Releases Russian Prisoner Alexander Vinnik in Prisoner Exchange with Russia

The United States government has released Alexander Vinnik, a Russian cybercriminal who allegedly laundered millions of dollars through his crypto exchange, BTC-e, according to a report by the Associated Press. Vinnik operated BTC-e, one of the world’s largest crypto exchanges, and is believed to have laundered cryptocurrency for Fancy Bear, the Russian group responsible for hacking the Democratic National Committee’s emails in 2016, as revealed by the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project.

News of Vinnik’s release came shortly before President Donald Trump’s announcement of a phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin to discuss ending the war in Ukraine. Trump claimed during their call that they had discussed various topics, including Ukraine, the Middle East, energy, and artificial intelligence.

“We have also agreed to have our respective teams start negotiations immediately, and we will begin by calling President Zelenskyy, of Ukraine, to inform him of the conversation, something which I will be doing right now,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.

It is unclear what Ukraine’s president may be willing to give up for peace, but Trump claimed to have spoken with President Zelenskyy shortly after the post about his call with Putin, stating that both leaders want peace.

Trump also announced that his administration would be sending a delegation to Munich on Friday, led by Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio. He expressed hope that the meeting would lead to a successful conclusion, avowing that it is time to stop the war and refrain from unnecessary death and destruction.

However, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth expressed skepticism about the feasibility of returning to Ukraine’s pre-2014 borders, stating that it is not a realistic goal. In an interview on Tuesday, Ukrainian President Zelenskyy mentioned that he is open to possibly swapping territory with Russia in an effort to bring peace.

Russia released American Marc Fogel, a school teacher who was arrested for bringing marijuana into the country, as part of a prisoner exchange. Fogel visited the White House to praise Trump, but Trump did not mention Vinnik in his post about the call with Putin.

“Millions of people have died in a war that would not have happened if I were President, but it did happen, so it must end,” Trump wrote. “No more lives should be lost! I want to thank President Putin for his time and effort with respect to this call, and for the release, yesterday, of Marc Fogel, a wonderful man that I personally greeted last night at the White House. I believe this effort will lead to a successful conclusion, hopefully soon!”

Vinnik’s defunct crypto exchange BTC-e was allegedly laundering $66 million worth of cryptocurrency every day at its peak in 2017. The Russian national was arrested while vacationing in Greece in 2017 and extradited to the US to face charges. Vinnik pleaded guilty to money laundering and conspiracy charges last year.