No master criminal or global “merchant of death,” Vadim Krasikov does not have the world-spanning reputation of Victor Bout. But there are signs that Russia wants him back just as much — if not more.
No master criminal or global “merchant of death,” Krasikov, who investigators say did dirty work for Russia’s Federal Security Service, or FSB, apparently bungled the escape. He was arrested after police found him removing a disguise in a bush.For their differences, Krasikov and Bout have a key fact in common: Convicted of high-profile crimes connected to the interests of the Russian state and held abroad, they both became bargaining chips in high-stakes talks to free Americans held in Russia.
U.S. officials are set to meet with their Russian counterparts this week to discuss Whelan, whom a Russian court convicted of espionage in 2019 in a case that his family and the U.S. government say was politically motivated, White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan told reporters Monday. The White House maintains that efforts to include him in the swap that freed Garner were unsuccessful.
Some officials say they believe that Russian demands for Krasikov were never serious and only designed as a stalling tactic.that offers to trade Krasikov for Griner this summer were not considered a “serious offer.”Liana Fix, an expert on Europe at the Council on Foreign Relations, a U.S. think tank, said that Russia might have thought Washington could simply tell Berlin to release Krasikov. “It fits Russia’s worldview, where U.S. allies are regarded as satellites under U.S. control.
Like Bout, who was suspected of maintaining ties to Russia’s military intelligence wing, the GRU, Krasikov may be considered loyal for refusing to talk to Western authorities. But his status as an assassin could give him an edge in Moscow’s estimations, as well.
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