The Kremlin and the Biden Administration have been in contact regarding a possible swap of an American journalist being held in a Russian prison for a Russian accused of cybercrime being held by the US, the Guardian reports.
A good sign something is afoot: US consular officials met with Wall Street Journalist Evan Gershkovich in the prison at Lefortovo, and Russian officials met with Vladimir Dunaev at a federal detention facility in Ohio. Dunaev has been in US custody since his extradition from South Korea in 2021 on the accusation that he helped release the ransomware Trickbot that targeted the western banking industry.
“We have said that there have been certain contacts on the subject, but we don’t want them to be discussed in public,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said in a conference call with reporters. “They must be carried out and continue in complete silence.”