His release from the American prison took place as part of the exchange between the Russian Federation and the United States.
The founder of the crypto exchange BTC-e Russian Alexander Vinnik has arrived in Russia, his lawyer Arkady Bukh told Vedomosti.
“At the moment we have received a screenshot of his arrival [in Russia]. As I understand it, it is a private board, arrived in Russia from Istanbul,” he said. Buch said that next week the defense intends to seek the declassification of court materials on Vinnik’s case.
The lawyer also added that there is now a warming of relations between Russia and the United States: “Completely different behavior of judges, prosecutors, well, and, of course, the White House. The warming is clearly felt.”
Washington announced the release of Vinnik as part of the exchange with Russia on February 12. The Russian side in exchange handed over a former teacher of the Anglo-American school in Moscow, Mark Fogel, his arrival in the U.S. became known on February 11. Vogel was charged in Russia with drug transportation and smuggling after marijuana and hash oil were found in his luggage. In June 2022, the Khimki court in Moscow sentenced Vogel to 14 years in a strict regime penal colony.
Vinnik was arrested at the request of the United States while vacationing in Greece in 2017. He was accused of hacking the Japanese cryptocurrency exchange Mt. Gox and laundering between $4 billion and $9 billion through the BTC-e platform. The exchange’s servers and assets located in the United States were seized by the FBI. Charges against Vinnik were also brought in France and Russia. Vinnik was scheduled to be sentenced in June 2025, but the case was closed on February 12.
The last exchange between Russia and Western countries took place on August 1, 2024. 10 people were handed over to Russia, 13 were sent to Germany and three to the United States. American journalist Evan Hershkovich, former Marine Paul Whelan and others were handed over to Washington.
Source: https://www.vedomosti.ru/politics/articles/2025/02/13/1092117-vinnik-pribil-v-rossiyu