According to Protos, Russia used Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich and a former U.S. Marine, Paul Whelan, in exchange for a number of Russians held by the United States and its allies, including Alexander Vinnik, the founder of the BTC-e cryptocurrency exchange. Evan Gershkovich and Paul Whelan went to a location outside Russia yesterday. According to Business Insider, citing TASS, Vinnik and others will be sent in the other direction, and their names have been removed from the FBI's electronic database. It is reported that in May this year, Vinnik pleaded guilty while working for BTC-e, admitting conspiracy to commit money laundering. He was responsible for the loss of about $121 million and encouraged criminals to use the platform to launder money and store illicit proceeds. Gershkovich and Whelan were arrested on espionage charges in March 2023 and December 2020 respectively, but the US denies the charges.