Lawyer: If there is no one to change for Russians convicted in the USA, this is a defect of the special services

Alexander Khaminsky, lawyer, head of the Law Enforcement Center in Moscow and the Moscow Region

If such actions take place before the next parliamentary or presidential elections, then the direct benefit from the potential redistribution of budgets can be measured in tens and even hundreds of billions of dollars. The recent exchange of the Russian Viktor Bout for the American Britney Griner is, on the one hand, a successful deal, and, on the other hand, a controversial one. But in any case - political. Without going into details, we can conclude that Bout was extremely important to Russia. Much more important than Greiner is the United States. But then the question arises, why did the process of liberation drag on for almost 15 long years? Why did the exchange "weight" of the same Whelan not reach the "weight" of Bout? Why did the mighty Russia lack resources in 2008 to resolve the situation at the stage of Bout's detention in Thailand? Most likely, the answers are classified and belong to the competence of foreign intelligence and the Foreign Ministry. But one question will still be voiced: why is it so bad with the “exchange fund” in Russia?

Until recently, Moscow was considered a paradise for expats, including Americans and British, who allowed themselves quite a lot of liberties in the Russian capital. This is drug use, and too free sexual behavior, which does not always imply the consent of the partner, and obtaining confidential information, and participating in illegal financial transactions. It is enough to take into development the most careless of them, and you could get several dozen lawsuits a year. It should be noted that we are talking about criminal offenses, the guilt of the defendants in the commission of which has been proven irrefutably and impartially.

American intelligence agencies have long used just such tactics. Since Bout's arrest, at the request of the FBI, more than 50 Russians have been extradited from third countries. And almost every time, domestic justice could not oppose anything to the American one. But even in those cases when the claims related to cyber fraud, not everything turned out to be so clear. Take the case of Alexander Vinnik, who was detained in Greece, then sentenced to 5 years in France for laundering money through cryptocurrency, but later extradited to the United States on the same charge. In America, he faces a retrial and many times more severe punishment. And all because the Russian dared to take part in the creation of financial institutions that could push the American monopoly on the issuance of the world's main currency.

This year, at the request of the United States, Artem Uss, the son of the governor of the Krasnoyarsk Territory, was arrested in Italy. The reason is rather strange: participation in the work of a company that purchased "sensitive military technologies and dual-use technologies." Almost any activity for the purchase of industrial products falls under such a plot. At the same time, the arrest of Uss cannot be regarded as a symmetrical measure against the actions of the Russian side. And again, we have nothing to oppose to such legal lawlessness.

But there are also positive examples. In 2019, in Italy, again at the request of the United States, top manager of the United Engine Corporation Alexander Korshunov was detained. He was charged with industrial espionage. Despite the decisions of the courts to extradite to the United States, the Minister of Justice of Italy managed to get these decisions overturned. In the summer of 2020, Korshunov was able to return to Moscow.

I would like to note that in a hybrid war, in which, in violation of all generally accepted rules and conventions, it is unacceptable to take hostage citizens of other states, it is unacceptable to justify ourselves with the slogan about clean hands. When there is a criminal offense, you just need to take a good look at it, document it, conduct a thorough investigation and send the case for consideration to an open and transparent court. Then we will have a whole clip of effective tools that can cool down some hotheads.