What is known about the abduction of Russian Vinnik by the Americans

The world is closely watching the fate of the Russian Alexander Vinnik. Greek authorities arrested IT specialist in 2017 at the request of the United States, accused of cybercrime. The Russian spent five years behind bars, and on August 5 it became known that the Americans had kidnapped Vinnik, as his relatives told. The family insists that everything was staged as a kidnapping. Alexander could face more than 50 years. What else is known about this high-profile case – we will tell in the material REN TV.

Detention of Vinnik

Vinnik spent five years in solitary confinement. The Russian was arrested on July 25, 2017, when he was vacationing on the Halkidiki peninsula in Greece with his family. Alexander was detained at the request of the United States. Washington accused him of creating the BTC-e cryptocurrency exchange, through which billions of dollars were allegedly laundered. In the United States, they said that Vinnik was also involved in the creation of the Locky ransomware virus, which affected numerous French companies. In America, Vinnik was threatened with 55 years in prison, that is, in fact, life imprisonment.

Difficult circumstances

The Russian stated that he did not commit these crimes, and his role on the BTC-e exchange was technical.

“I do not ask you to justify me for beautiful eyes. I ask you to respect the law. If you think that I am guilty, please justify it,” said Alexander in court

The extradition of Vinnik was sought by France and Russia. In a Greek prison, the Russian was in solitary confinement. The prisoner repeatedly stated that his rights were violated – as a sign of protest, he even went on a hunger strike for more than those months. According to Alexander, the case against him was based only on the conjectures of the Americans, and he himself is a victim of the war of politicians. All this time, Vinnik was in an extremely depressed state. While in prison, the Russian learned about the death of his wife. She died of cancer, and the Vinnikov children were actually left without both parents.

U.S. deception

In January 2020, Alexander was extradited to France on 19 charges. However, the court acquitted the Russian in almost all of them. In Paris, the prisoner was convicted on only one Washington charge for five years. Moreover, the French court considered that Vinnik did not commit a criminal offense, but a misdemeanor. However, the Russian continued to be kept in prison, despite the fact that his sentence had ended. Vinnik was supposed to return to Greece for extradition to the United States, but the ECHR banned the extradition of the Russian.

Washington 15 July 2022 withdrew his extradition request for Vinnik. The French lawyer for the prisoner, Frederic Belo, said that with the help of such a “deceptive maneuver”, the American authorities ensured that Alexander not only remained in prison, but was also returned to Greece. And then he will be sent to the States as soon as possible, where he faces more than 50 years behind bars.

Daring kidnapping

On August 4, a new hearing on the Vinnik case was held in Paris. The court announced that the Russian would be left in prison until the extradition of Greece. According to Frederic Belo, Vinnik was supposed to go to Greece on the same day, and from there to the USA.

However, as soon as Vinnik was at the airport in Greece, something happened that no one could have expected. Russian disappeared under mysterious circumstances, and what happened was reminiscent of an abduction.

“Responsible police officers tried to prevent me from entering the department for two and a half hours, using force. As a result, I went through a different entrance. They said that they did not know where Alexander Vinnik was, that he had never passed here, that they did not know his name don’t know where he is, – said the Greek lawyer Vinnik Zoe Konstantopoulou.

It turned out that Vinnik is now in the United States. In Athens, the Americans intercepted the Russian, transferred him to a small private jet and took him to Boston. From there, Alexander was allowed to call his mother.

Many legal procedures were violated during the operation. Relatives of the prisoner believe that the Americans acted quickly to avoid lengthy proceedings in Greece.

The Kremlin’s reaction

The Kremlin immediately reacted to the news of Vinnik’s extradition to the United States. Press Secretary of the President of Russia Dmitry Peskov said that Moscow is closely following how events unfold. He noted that the fate of Vinnik is being monitored as well as “the fate of all citizens of Russia.”