Discover out who’re the 4 prisoners to be exchanged between the US and Russia

Both countries said this Friday, the 5th, that they were willing to continue negotiations

THE Russia and the United States negotiate a new prisoner exchange in one of the few active dialogues between Moscow and Washington in the midst of the Russian offensive in the Ukraine.

Both countries said on Friday that they were willing to continue negotiations, a day after the basketball star Brittney Griner be sentenced to nine years in prison.

Three Americans detained in Russia and a Russian who is serving a long sentence in the prison of United States may be involved in this exchange.

Brittney Griner

Griner was sentenced on Thursday, 4, to nine years in prison in a Russian penal colony, in addition to a fine of 1 million rubles ($16.59 thousand) for possession and smuggling of drugs.

She was detained at an airport in Moscow in February in possession of a liquid for vaporizer based on cannabis, which she said was prescribed by a doctor. The arrest took place a few days after the start of the offensive in Ukraineon the 24th of February.

The 31-year-old player from Phoenix Mercuryconsidered one of the best in the world, was in the Russia to play during the low season at a club in the city of Yekaterinburg.

Paul Whelan

Former US Marine Paul Whelan52, was arrested in December 2018 on charges of spying by Russian security services.

Director of safety at an American vehicle parts company, the veteran was sentenced to 16 years of arrest for espionage in June 2020.

In a closed-door trial, Whelan insisted on his innocence and claimed that an acquaintance had set him in a trap, giving him a flash drive that he thought contained photos taken during an old trip to Russia.

He didn’t look at the contents of the drive USBbut his lawyer claimed to contain “state secrets”.

The American claims he was in the Russia to attend a wedding.

Marc Fogel

Teacher at an American school in Moscow and former diplomat, the American Marc Fogel was sentenced in June to 14 years in prison in Russia for traffic of cannabis on a “large scale”.

Russian authorities claim to have found marijuana and oil of hashish in the luggage of Fogel when he arrived from New Yorkin the airport Sheremetievo in Moscow.

fireworks claims that the cannabis was prescribed in the United States for medicinal purposes after a spinal operation.

THE Russia does not recognize the use of the substance for medicinal purposes.

Victor Bout

The Russian arms dealer Victor Bout was sentenced in 2012 to 25 years in prison in the United Statesafter being accused of arming rebels in some of the world’s bloodiest conflicts.

The 55-year-old is considered the highest-ranking Russian imprisoned in the United States.

Former translator and radio operator in the Soviet Air Force, out was detained in thailand in 2008 during a covert operation in which US agents posed as Colombian rebels from the farc in search of weapons.

The Russian inspired the film starring Nicolas Cage about arms smuggling The Lord of the gunsfrom 2005.

(AFP)