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

  • DMDAO Burns Nearly 35,000 Tokens Over the Past 7 Days, Bringing Total DMD Burned to Over 716,000

    On September 3, 2026, the latest on-chain data monitoring showed that from August 28 to September 3, 2026, the DMDAO distributed market-making protocol ecosystem maintained a high and stable level of activity, with a cumulative 34,928.27 DMD burned over the past 7 days.

  • Trump Shares Op-Ed Claiming He is Winning the War Against Iran

    On August 29, U.S. President Trump shared a commentary article from the New York Post on Truth Social on Saturday, which stated that he is winning the war against Iran and should maintain the current strategy. The title of the article Trump shared read: 'Trump is Winning the War Against Iran - Stay the Course.'

  • Morgan Stanley: 2028 as a Key Observation Point for Global Memory Competition Landscape

    On August 29, Morgan Stanley pointed out that the rise of Chinese memory manufacturers should not be viewed merely as a technological catch-up or low-cost substitution; what is truly noteworthy is that their production capacity may gradually become large enough to alter the supply structure of the global memory market. Changxin Technology and Yangtze Memory Technologies are currently entering the mainstream product market and gradually extending into high-profit markets such as HBM, high-end server DRAM, and enterprise SSDs. Morgan Stanley considers 2028 as an important observation point for the global memory competition landscape. From 2026 to 2027, demand for AI servers, capacity crowding of advanced wafers by HBM, import substitution, and the time required for customer certification may absorb most of the new supply from Chinese memory manufacturers. By 2028, as Chinese manufacturers expand production, the additional capacity from Samsung, SK Hynix, and Micron, which had previously initiated expansions, will also be released. At that time, the supply variables in the global memory market will significantly increase. Morgan Stanley estimates that Changxin's DRAM monthly production capacity will rise from 180,000 wafers in 2025 to 300,000 in 2026, accounting for approximately 13% of global DRAM wafer capacity and about 11% of bit shipments; by 2028, it is expected to further increase to 500,000 wafers, and by 2031, it could reach 800,000 wafers. If the expansion proceeds smoothly, Changxin's global DRAM bit shipment market share could approach 15% by 2030, and it may even have the opportunity to surpass Micron in production capacity around 2028, becoming the third-largest DRAM supplier in the world.

  • US Spot Ethereum ETF Sees Net Inflow of $102.17 Million Yesterday

    On August 29, according to monitoring by Trader T, the US spot Ethereum ETF recorded a net inflow of $102.17 million yesterday.

  • US Spot Ethereum ETF Sees Net Inflow of $102.17 Million

    On August 29, according to monitoring by Trader T, the US spot Ethereum ETF experienced a net inflow of $102.17 million yesterday.

  • US Spot Bitcoin ETF Sees Net Outflow of $201.81 Million

    On August 29, according to monitoring by Trader T, the US spot Bitcoin ETF experienced a net outflow of $201.81 million yesterday.

  • US Spot Bitcoin ETF Sees Net Outflow of $201.81 Million Yesterday

    On August 29, according to monitoring by Trader T, the US spot Bitcoin ETF experienced a net outflow of $201.81 million yesterday.

  • BTC Surpasses $78,000

    Market data shows that BTC has surpassed $78,000, currently priced at $78,009.49. The 24-hour decline has narrowed to 3.23%. Due to significant market fluctuations, please ensure proper risk management.

  • BTC Surpasses $78,000

    Market data shows that BTC has surpassed $78,000, currently priced at $78,009.49, with a 24-hour decline narrowing to 3.23%. The market is experiencing significant volatility, so please ensure proper risk management.

  • BTC Briefly Drops Below $77,000

    Market data shows that BTC briefly fell below $77,000, currently reported at $77,694, with a 24-hour decline of 3.3%. The market is experiencing significant volatility, so please ensure proper risk management.

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