Cointime

Cointime

Download App
iOS & Android

Alexander Vinnik lands in Moscow after US-Russia prisoner swap

Cointime Official

From cointelegraph by Yohan Yun

Alexander Vinnik, operator of the now-defunct cryptocurrency exchange BTC-e, was returned to Russia as part of a prisoner swap with the US.

Vinnik arrived in Moscow aboard a Mitsubishi Challenger jet from Istanbul, Turkey, landing at Vnukovo International Airport late on Feb. 13, according to Russia’s state news agency TASS.

The BTC-e operator was released in exchange for American schoolteacher Marc Fogel, who was repatriated on Feb. 11. Fogel had been in Russian custody since 2021 after his arrest at an airport for possessing illegal cannabis.

The Russian national was arrested in Greece in 2017 and extradited to the US in August 2022. In May 2024, he pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit money laundering in his role as BTC-e’s operator from 2011 to 2017.

BTC-e was a widely used exchange among illicit actors. A Cointelegraph Magazine investigation found that BTC-e was a favored laundering service, with large amounts of illicit BitcoinBTC$96,841converted into EtherETH$2,688 through Ethereum’s initial coin offering, effectively swapping dirty BTC for clean ETH. Blockchain transaction trails also linked the defunct exchange to the infamous Mt. Gox hack.

According to the US Justice Department, BTC-e processed over $9 billion in transactions and served a million users globally. Vinnik’s partner Aleksey Bilyuchenko, remains on the United States Secret Service’s most-wanted list for his role in operating BTC-e.

The prisoner swap comes ahead of a possible meeting between US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin in Saudi Arabia, where peace talks concerning the Russia-Ukraine war may take place. Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has rejected any negotiations over Ukraine’s future that do not include his country. 

US Vice President JD Vance has warned the Kremlin of sanctions and potential military action if Putin does not agree to a peace deal that ensures Ukraine’s independence, The Wall Street Journal reported.

While speaking at a NATO meeting in Brussels on Feb. 12, US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth said that Ukraine reclaiming its pre-2014 borders was an unrealistic objective, adding that the Trump administration does not consider NATO membership for Ukraine a viable path.

Comments

All Comments

Recommended for you

  • U.S. July Nonfarm Payrolls Fall by 23,000, Missing Market Expectations

    On August 7, U.S. nonfarm payrolls decreased by 23,000 in July, compared with market expectations of an increase of 80,000, and the previous value was an increase of 57,000.

  • US May and June Nonfarm Payroll Additions Revised Down by 103,000 Combined

    On August 7, the US Bureau of Labor Statistics: May nonfarm payroll additions were revised down from 129,000 to 63,000; June nonfarm payroll additions were revised down from 57,000 to 20,000. After the revisions, the combined additions for May and June were 103,000 lower than previously reported.

  • U.S. Rate Futures Market Sees Lower Odds of Fed September Hike

    On August 7, the probability of a Fed rate hike in September as priced by U.S. interest rate futures declined.

  • New York Gold Futures Top $4,400 per Ounce

    New York gold futures topped $4,400 per ounce, up 2.36% on the day.

  • Japan Finance Minister: FX Market Affected by Moves Not Driven by Actual Demand

    Japanese Finance Minister Satsuki Katayama said she and U.S. Treasury Secretary Bessent agreed that the foreign exchange market has been affected by moves not driven by actual demand.

  • BTC Breaks Through $65,000

    Market data shows BTC has broken through $65,000, currently reported at $65,007.44, with a 24-hour increase of 0.6%. The market is highly volatile, please exercise risk control.

  • Brent Crude Drops 2.00% Intraday to $81.07/Barrel

    Brent crude oil fell 2.00% during the day, now at $81.07 per barrel. (Jin Shi)

  • Trump: Data Centers May Be More Important Than Oil

    August 7 news, U.S. President Trump said in an interview with Punchbowl News, "I saw the other day that Texas seems to be opposed to building data centers. I think that's a mistake. I'm not taking a position—I just think it's a mistake, because there are other communities that want to build data centers. When a community is willing to accept data centers, it means a lot of money will flow into that community. I don't think they're ugly. Some of the data centers I've seen are the most incredible buildings I've ever seen. They are very important to the economy. If Texas says no to data centers, that's a mistake, because data centers may be more important than oil."

  • Trump to Meet with Mining Executives

    On August 7, according to CCTV International News, US President Trump will convene executives from some of the world's largest mining companies at the US State Department on August 7 local time, in an effort to take action to 'secure critical mineral supplies for the US and its allies.' Reuters reported that the US urgently needs critical minerals to replenish weapons inventories depleted during the war against Iran. During the more than five-month war with Iran, the US military expended large quantities of precision-guided missiles and air defense interceptors. US defense officials and lawmakers have warned that given existing production capacity constraints, replenishing some stockpiles could take years—although the Trump administration has denied reports of a so-called 'severe shortage of ammunition stockpiles.' According to Pentagon officials and defense companies, supplies of minerals such as rare earths, tungsten, germanium, and scandium are essential for manufacturing precision-guided missiles, fighter jets, armored vehicles, infrared sensors, and other advanced weapons systems. Expected attendees include industry giants such as global mining giant Rio Tinto Group, Australia's BHP, US Freeport-McMoRan, US Mountain Pass Materials, US Rare Earths, US Energy Fuels, and Canada's Metals Company. According to sources, the Trump administration plans to announce multiple deals and memorandums of understanding.

  • US Regulators Systematically Review Chinese AI Firms' Third-Country Computing Power Leasing

    August 7 news, according to Bloomberg, people familiar with the matter revealed that the U.S. government department responsible for investigating chip export control violations is reviewing Chinese AI companies' leasing of computing power in third countries to obtain Nvidia advanced chips.

Daily Must-Read

Popular Activities

RaveDAO at Terra Solis by Tomorrowland: A Female-Led Techno Night Where Web3 Culture Converges

RaveDAO at Terra Solis by Tomorrowland: A Female-Led Techno Night Where Web3 Culture Converges

April 30 - April 30
Dubai

Popular Tags

Cointime
News
Contents
RSS
Company