Russia denies plans to swap detainees with US
MOSCOW — In Saturday remarks from its foreign ministry, Russia downplayed the possibility of swapping a detained American held on espionage charges for a Russian national behind bars in the United States.
The remarks came after the disclosure of the arrest of a Russian citizen in the Northern Mariana Islands by U.S. officials and his transfer to Florida, deepening the complexity surrounding the mysterious arrest of the American, Paul Whelan, last week in Moscow.
An FBI spokeswoman declined to comment on the arrest of Dmitry Makarenko on Dec. 29, which Russia’s Foreign Ministry disclosed Saturday.
U.S. court records show Makarenko, who lives in Russia, was indicted in Miami in 2017 on charges he broke American laws against exporting military equipment. He was also charged with money laundering.
There has been widespread speculation that 48-year-old Whelan, who was arrested on Dec. 28 under the relatively broad charge of espionage with no specific accusations, would be exchanged for a Russian citizen.
“To speak about any kind of ‘swaps’ this stage is inappropriate and wrong,” Russia’s Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Rybakov told the state-run RIA news agency.
Whelan’s case, which continues to zigzag as details about his past emerge, has further heightened tensions between Washington and Moscow: The United States and Russia are at loggerheads over a range of issues from election meddling to the crises in Syria and Ukraine.
Whelan, a Michigan resident who served in the Marines, was court-martialed and discharged for trying to steal thousands of dollars from the U.S. government. He also holds British, Canadian and Irish citizenships.
The Russian Embassy in Washington found out about Makarenko’s detention from those close to him, and not the U.S. government, violating the Vienna convention of giving notification within 72 hours of a foreign national’s arrest.
U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Washington would demand Whelan’s release if his detention is deemed inappropriate.