291
Russian ruler Vladimir Putin's strategy of arresting foreigners on frivolous, frivolous charges has allowed him to free murderers, spies and hackers, demonstrating the imbalances inherent in such deals.
This was reported by The Washington Post.
Putin secured the release of spies, hackers and his most wanted prisoner in the West, an intelligence-linked killer convicted in Germany. For the authoritarian Russian dictator, it was the biggest victory that has come from his willingness to defy world norms to get what he wants from Western leaders.
Putin hinted at his determination to free the killer, Vadym Krasikov, in an interview with American Tucker Carlson in February. He called Krasikov a "patriot", avoiding specifying the surname.
In his quarter century as Russia's supreme political leader, Putin has repeatedly shown contempt for the rules-based global order by invading Georgia and Ukraine, seizing territory by force, carrying out attacks and assassinations on foreign soil, and arresting foreigners in Russia on trumped-up charges. This practice is known as "hostage diplomacy".
"Thursday's major prisoner exchange highlighted the severe imbalance that has become typical of such deals, where Russia wins the release of those convicted of serious crimes while the West focuses on its own citizens jailed on trivial or baseless charges, or even citizens Russians who are victims of political persecution by Putin's government," the newspaper writes.
