Twenty-four prisoners were released today in an international prisoner swap between Russia and the West. Among the 8 repatriated Russians were several convicted hackers. In return, Russia reportedly released 16 prisoners, incl The Wall Street Journal a reporter Evan Gershkovich and former US Marine Paul Whelan.
Among the most notable Russian hackers were released in a prisoner exchange Roman Seleznev, 40, who was sentenced in 2017 to 27 years in prison on fraud charges related to a long career stealing and selling credit card information. Seleznev earned this then-record sentence by exploiting some of the busiest markets for stolen credit card data.
Roman Seleznev, pictured with a pile of money. Photo: US DOJ.
Ever known hacker handles “Track 2,” “Bulba” and “nCux,” Seleznev is the son of Valery Selezneva prominent member of the Russian parliament who is considered a partner of Vladimir Putin. US prosecutors have shown that for years Vinnik stayed a step ahead of the law by contacting contacts in the Russian FSB, the successor agency to the Soviet KGB, and by changing hacker handles from time to time.
But in 2014 Seleznev was kidnapped by agents of the US Secret Service, who had entered Seleznev’s resort in the Maldives. At the time, the South Asian island nation was a popular destination for cybercriminals based in Eastern Europe, who considered it an area beyond the reach of US law enforcement.
In addition to receiving a prison sentence, Seleznev was ordered to pay more than $50 million in restitution to his victims. That lost money is equal to the total losses caused by Seleznev’s various card shops, as well as other thefts committed by members of the hacking forum. producer[.]sua bustling cybercriminal community of which Seleznev was a leading promoter.
He was released and the prisoner exchange was Vladislav Klyushin, a 42-year-old Muscovite was sentenced in September 2023 to nine years in prison for what US prosecutors called a “$93 million robbery conspiracy.” Klyushin and his team hack into companies and use the information stolen from those hacks to make illegal stock trades.
Klyushin was also arrested while visiting abroad: The Associated Press reported that Klyushin was caught in Switzerland after arriving on a private plane, and just before he and his crew were about to board a helicopter to take them to a nearby ski resort.
Klyushin’s passport photo. Photo: USDOJ.
Klyushin is the owner of M-13, a Russian technology company with a contract with the Russian government. According to prosecutors, the M-13 provided penetration testing and “advanced persistent simulation (APT).” As part of his plea, Klyushin was also ordered to forfeit $34 million, and pay restitution in an amount to be determined.
The US government says four of Klyushin’s alleged accomplices are still at large, including Ivan Ermakovwho was among 12 Russians indicted in 2018 for hacking Democratic Party email accounts.
Vladimir Dunaev40, was one of the masterminds behind the Trickbot Trojan, a crimeware-as-a-service platform that was used for years by Russian cybercriminal groups to install ransomware and siphon data from victims. Duanev was sentenced in January 2024 to five years and four months in prison.
The fifth convicted Russian was sent home this week Maxim Marchenko52, who pleaded guilty in February 2024 to illegally purchasing large quantities of US-made microelectronics on behalf of Russian clients to support the war in Ukraine.
Marchenko admitted to founding a number of shell companies based in Hong Kong that were used to acquire technology products with military-grade applications, such as rifle scopes, night vision goggles and thermal optics.
Among the Americans freed by Russia were The Wall Street Journal a reporter Evan Gershkovich, 32, who has spent 16 months in a Russian prison on espionage charges. It was released again Alsu Kurmasheva, 47, a Russian American editor for Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty who was arrested last year; and Paul Whelan, 54, a former US Marine who was arrested in 2018 and accused of espionage.
The New York Times reports that several others freed by Russia were German nationals, including German Moyzhesa lawyer who helped Russians get residence permits in Germany and other EU countries. The Times said Slovenia, Norway and Poland released four people suspected of being Russian spies.
Reuters reports that Germany has issued Vadim Krasikovan FSB colonel serving a life sentence there for killing an exiled Chechen-Georgian dissident in a Berlin park.
Update, 8:47 pm ET:An earlier version of this story incorrectly reported that one of the Russian hackers released was BTC-e co-founder Alexander Vinnik. KrebsOnSecurity could not confirm his release. The story above has been edited to reflect that change.
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