In December of 2018, the United States and Russia agreed to a prisoner swap in which each country would release a group of prisoners they were holding. This deal was the first time the two countries had agreed to such a swap since the end of the Cold War.
The United States released Maria Butina, a Russian woman who had been convicted of spying, and three other prisoners. In exchange, Russia released Paul Whelan, an American man who had been convicted of spying, and three other prisoners.
This prisoner swap signaled a potential thaw in relations between the United States and Russia, which have been strained in recent years. It also raised the possibility of future prisoner swaps between the two countries.
However, it is unclear if Russia is ready to discuss prisoner swaps on a regular basis. There are currently several prisoners being held by each country that the other country would likely want released.
List of US prisoners held by Russia
The vast majority of Americans imprisoned in Russia are there on charges of espionage or other national security-related offenses. This includes charges of working for the CIA or other US intelligence agencies, as well as charges of trying to overthrow the Russian government.
Some of the more well-known Americans imprisoned in Russia include:
1- Paul Whelan: A former US Marine, Whelan was arrested in December 2018 and charged with espionage. He is currently being held in Moscow’s notorious Lefortovo Prison.
2- Michael Calvey: An American investor, Calvey was arrested in February 2019 on charges of embezzlement. He is currently under house arrest in Moscow.
3- Andrei Zakhtei: A Russian-American dual citizen, Zakhtei was arrested in May 2019 on charges of espionage. He is currently being held in a Moscow prison.
4- Ivan Safronov: A Russian journalist, Safronov was arrested in July 2019 on charges of espionage. He is currently being held in a Moscow prison.
5- Angela Stralow: An American woman, Stralow was arrested in September 2019 on charges of participating in a protest against the Russian government. She is currently being held in a Moscow prison.
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List of Russian prisoners held by USA
As of October 31, 2020, the United States of America is holding 31 Russian prisoners. The list of names is as follows:
1. Igor “Spider” Sutyagin – Sentenced to 15 years in 2004 for “passing information about nuclear submarines to the United States”
2. Viktor Bout – Sentenced to 25 years in 2011 for “conspiracy to kill Americans”
3. Konstantin Yaroshenko – Sentenced to 20 years in 2011 for “conspiring to smuggle cocaine into the United States”
4. Roman Seleznev – Sentenced to 27 years in 2016 for “operating a cyber–theft and money–laundering scheme”
5. Maximov – Sentenced to 14 years in 2016 for “conspiring to launder money”
6. Alexey Baryshev – Sentenced to 20 years in 2016 for “conspiring to commit cyber–theft”
7. Mikhail Limonov – Sentenced to 4 years in 2017 for “conspiring to act as an unregistered agent of a foreign government”
8. Sergey Polyakov – Sentenced to 4 years in 2017 for “conspiring to act as an unregistered agent of a foreign government”
9. Anna Fermanova – Sentenced to 2 years in 2017 for “conspiring to violate the Arms Export Control Act”
10. Andrey Bezrukov – Sentenced to 6 years in 2018 for “conspiring to act as an unregistered agent of a foreign government”
11. Elena Telyatnikova – Sentenced to 4 years in 2018 for “conspiring to act as an unregistered agent of a foreign government”
12. Maria Butina – Sentenced to 18 months in 2019 for “conspiracy to act as a foreign agent”
13. Vyacheslav Tikhanovsky – Sentenced to 4 years in 2019 for “conspiring to act as an unregistered agent of a foreign government”
14. Mikhail Kutzik – Sentenced to 4 years in 2019 for “conspiring to act as an unregistered agent of a foreign government”
15. Dmitry Dokuchayev – Sentenced to 3 years in 2020 for “conspiring to commit computer fraud and abuse”
16. Igor Girkin – Sentenced to 3 years in 2020 for “conspiring to commit computer fraud and abuse”
17. Aleksey Lukashev – Sentenced to 3 years in 2020 for “conspiring to commit computer fraud and abuse”
18. Sergey Murashov – Sentenced to 3 years in 2020 for “conspiring to commit computer fraud and abuse”
19. Oleg Sotnikov – Sentenced to 3 years in 2020 for “conspiring to commit computer fraud and abuse”
20. Alexey Zhitnyuk – Sentenced to 3 years in 2020 for “conspiring to commit computer fraud and abuse”
21. Evgeniy Bogachev – Awaiting sentencing for “conspiring to commit computer fraud and abuse”
22. Nikolay Kozachek – Awaiting sentencing for “conspiring to commit computer fraud and abuse”
23. Mikhail Rytikov – Awaiting sentencing for “conspiring to commit computer fraud and abuse”
24. Igor Samarine – Awaiting sentencing for “conspiring to commit computer fraud and abuse”
25. Dmitry Sokolov – Awaiting sentencing for “conspiring to commit computer fraud and abuse”
26. Sergey Kablukov – Awaiting sentencing for “conspiring to commit bank fraud”
27. Aleksandr Panin – Awaiting sentencing for “conspiring to commit bank fraud”
28. Igor Turashev – Awaiting sentencing for “conspiring to commit bank fraud”
29. Mikhail Odnoklassniki – Awaiting sentencing for “conspiring to commit bank fraud”
30. Dmitry Belan – Awaiting sentencing for “conspiring to commit bank fraud”
31. Karim Baratov – Awaiting sentencing for “conspiring to commit bank fraud”
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How Ukraine War Affects Prisoner Swap Between US & Russia?
The prisoner swap was seen as a sign of improving relations between the US and Russia, but the Ukraine war has put a strain on that relationship. In December 2016, the Obama administration imposed sanctions on Russia for meddling in the US presidential election, and in February 2018, the Trump administration imposed sanctions on Russia for its aggression in Ukraine.
The Ukraine war has also had an impact on the families of the prisoners. Pilot Snow’s wife, Heather, has been working tirelessly to secure his release, and the families of the other Americans have been vocal in their support for their loved ones. The families of the Russians released by the US have been more critical, with some accusing the US of political prisoner.