A hitman, a hacker, a weapons dealer, suspected spies and more were among eight individuals sought by Russia in a historic prisoner swap that saw 24 prisoners freed.
Russia received eight criminals in a historic prisoner swap that saw a total of 24 detainees released in a complex deal involving seven nations, including the U.S. and Germany.
Here is a look at the faces of evil that were allowed to return to Russia in the largest prisoner swap since the Cold War:Vadim Krasikov
The top pick on Russian President Vladimir Putin’s wish list for the swap was hit man Vadim Krasikov, who used the alias Vadim Sokolov. He was convicted by a German court for the 2019 assassination of a former Chechen commander near Berlin’s parliamentary building.
He apparently carried out the assassination on the orders of Moscow’s security services.Roman Seleznev
Roman Seleznev, the son of a member of the Russian Parliament, was sentenced to 27 years in prison after he was convicted of hacking into more than 500 U.S. businesses and stealing millions of credit card numbers.
He was also sentenced to 14 years in prison for his role in a $50 million cyber fraud ring and for defrauding banks of $9 million through a hacking scheme.Vadim Konoshchenok
Vadim Konoshchenok, a Russian citizen with alleged ties to Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB), was accused of providing U.S.-made electronics and ammunition to the Russian military.
He was extradited from Estonia to the U.S. last month.
«As alleged, the defendant was a critical participant in a scheme to provide sensitive, American-made electronics and ammunition in furtherance of Russia’s war efforts and weapons development, violating U.S. export controls, economic sanctions and other criminal statues», U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of New York Breon Peace wrote in a press release at the time. «Let this case serve as the latest example that no matter where you are in the world, if you violate U.
