10:34Roman Seleznev, who was convicted of cybercrime and subsequently released in a prisoner exchange with the West, spoke to a film crew in Moscow on Sunday, providing details of his time in the US.
Roman was apprehended in the Maldives and subsequently transferred to the US without the requisite extradition procedures being followed, despite the absence of an extradition treaty between the US and the islands.
"I was handcuffed, forcibly removed and put on the plane. When I tried to resist, they called the local police, who allowed them to do all this. I think the police were just bribed because they say that the president of the country allowed them to take me out," Seleznev claimed.
Seleznev added that he was “not physically tortured, but more emotionally tortured.”
"They did not let me sleep, they did not let me eat, they brought some dubious prisoners who tried to talk to me or frighten me and so on. I had to report to the prison every two hours. They even woke me up in the night," he said.
Seleznev said that although he was not aware that he was on the prisoner exchange list, he never lost hope of returning to Russia.
"Preconditions and hints - no, I only got them from the television, when our president said that work is going on, there is [work on] the exchange of prisoners, which ones - I did not know. I didn't know if I was on the list or not, so I didn't know anything. The [staff of the] Embassy [of Russia in the United States] of America also came to see me often. I asked, well, you know, I asked if I was on the list, but they didn't know anything because it was the special services that did it - the FSB. So I never knew, but I hoped... I knew that my homeland would not forget me and that one day I would get out," Seleznev said.
The former detainee said that he will always remember his meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin upon his return home.
"I honestly almost fainted: the red carpet and our President Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin was waiting for us personally. And I saw him shaking hands with Vadim Krasikov [a former Russian special services officer convicted of the murder of a Chechen militant]. And I thought, well, maybe it's a special [meeting]. I followed him. And when he shakes my hand, I think I'm going to faint," Seleznev said.
In July 2014, Seleznev was detained in the Maldives and subsequently extradited to the United States to serve a lengthy prison sentence on cybercrime charges.
In August 2016, a federal court in Seattle handed down a 27-year prison sentence to the Russian citizen in connection with a cyber fraud case.
During his time in a US prison, Seleznev said he feels the conditions of his detention could be improved.
In 2022, the Russian Embassy in the United States highlighted what it perceived to be a lack of medical care for the prisoner by the US authorities.
In response to journalists' request to comment on Seleznev's claims, US Federal Bureau of Prisons (FBOP) informed that it did not "condone or allow the physical or mental torture" and took pride in "protecting and securing all individuals" entrusted in their custody.
On Thursday, the Turkish Foreign Ministry announced that 26 prisoners had been exchanged between Russia, the United States, Germany, Poland, Slovenia, Norway and Belarus, with the coordination of the Turkish Intelligence Directorate (MIT). Of those, 10 individuals, including two minors, were transferred to Russia. A total of 13 were sent to Germany and three additional individuals were relocated to the United States.
The Kremlin press service has confirmed that Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree pardoning 13 Russian and foreign nationals in order to facilitate the return of Russians detained abroad.
The individuals transferred to the custody of the West by Moscow included former US Marine Paul Whelan and Wall Street Journal journalist Evan Hershkovich, German citizens Kevin Leek, Demur Voronin, Herman Moyges and activist Patrick Schebel, who have been accused of treason, and publicists Vladimir Kara-Murza, Alsu Kurmasheva and Oleg Orlov, as well as public figures Lilia Chanysheva, Vadim Ostanin, Ksenia Fadeeva, politician Ilya Yashin, former executive director of Open Russia Andrei Pivovarov, and artist Alexandra Skolichenko.
The released Russians include spouses Artem and Anna Dultsev, Mikhail Mikushin and journalist Pavel Rubtsov, convicted of spying for Moscow; Vadim Krasikov, a former special services officer who served a sentence in Germany for killing a Chechen militant; Roman Seleznev and Vladislav, accused of cybercrimes; and Vadim Konoschenok, convicted of smuggling technology and American ammunition for the Russian military-industrial complex.
In a statement on X (formerly Twitter), Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk confirmed that the exchange operation was conducted with the involvement of the Polish government. Meanwhile, US President Joe Biden extended a welcome home message to three American citizens and one green card holder.
Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store underscored the significance of international collaboration in the exchange, while German Chancellor Olaf Scholz expressed his anticipation in welcoming the individuals back to freedom.
'I knew my homeland would not forget me' - Seleznev recounts release process after prisoner swap
Roman Seleznev, who was convicted of cybercrime and subsequently released in a prisoner exchange with the West, spoke to a film crew in Moscow on Sunday, providing details of his time in the US.
Roman was apprehended in the Maldives and subsequently transferred to the US without the requisite extradition procedures being followed, despite the absence of an extradition treaty between the US and the islands.
"I was handcuffed, forcibly removed and put on the plane. When I tried to resist, they called the local police, who allowed them to do all this. I think the police were just bribed because they say that the president of the country allowed them to take me out," Seleznev claimed.
Seleznev added that he was “not physically tortured, but more emotionally tortured.”
"They did not let me sleep, they did not let me eat, they brought some dubious prisoners who tried to talk to me or frighten me and so on. I had to report to the prison every two hours. They even woke me up in the night," he said.
Seleznev said that although he was not aware that he was on the prisoner exchange list, he never lost hope of returning to Russia.
"Preconditions and hints - no, I only got them from the television, when our president said that work is going on, there is [work on] the exchange of prisoners, which ones - I did not know. I didn't know if I was on the list or not, so I didn't know anything. The [staff of the] Embassy [of Russia in the United States] of America also came to see me often. I asked, well, you know, I asked if I was on the list, but they didn't know anything because it was the special services that did it - the FSB. So I never knew, but I hoped... I knew that my homeland would not forget me and that one day I would get out," Seleznev said.
The former detainee said that he will always remember his meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin upon his return home.
"I honestly almost fainted: the red carpet and our President Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin was waiting for us personally. And I saw him shaking hands with Vadim Krasikov [a former Russian special services officer convicted of the murder of a Chechen militant]. And I thought, well, maybe it's a special [meeting]. I followed him. And when he shakes my hand, I think I'm going to faint," Seleznev said.
In July 2014, Seleznev was detained in the Maldives and subsequently extradited to the United States to serve a lengthy prison sentence on cybercrime charges.
In August 2016, a federal court in Seattle handed down a 27-year prison sentence to the Russian citizen in connection with a cyber fraud case.
During his time in a US prison, Seleznev said he feels the conditions of his detention could be improved.
In 2022, the Russian Embassy in the United States highlighted what it perceived to be a lack of medical care for the prisoner by the US authorities.
In response to journalists' request to comment on Seleznev's claims, US Federal Bureau of Prisons (FBOP) informed that it did not "condone or allow the physical or mental torture" and took pride in "protecting and securing all individuals" entrusted in their custody.
On Thursday, the Turkish Foreign Ministry announced that 26 prisoners had been exchanged between Russia, the United States, Germany, Poland, Slovenia, Norway and Belarus, with the coordination of the Turkish Intelligence Directorate (MIT). Of those, 10 individuals, including two minors, were transferred to Russia. A total of 13 were sent to Germany and three additional individuals were relocated to the United States.
The Kremlin press service has confirmed that Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree pardoning 13 Russian and foreign nationals in order to facilitate the return of Russians detained abroad.
The individuals transferred to the custody of the West by Moscow included former US Marine Paul Whelan and Wall Street Journal journalist Evan Hershkovich, German citizens Kevin Leek, Demur Voronin, Herman Moyges and activist Patrick Schebel, who have been accused of treason, and publicists Vladimir Kara-Murza, Alsu Kurmasheva and Oleg Orlov, as well as public figures Lilia Chanysheva, Vadim Ostanin, Ksenia Fadeeva, politician Ilya Yashin, former executive director of Open Russia Andrei Pivovarov, and artist Alexandra Skolichenko.
The released Russians include spouses Artem and Anna Dultsev, Mikhail Mikushin and journalist Pavel Rubtsov, convicted of spying for Moscow; Vadim Krasikov, a former special services officer who served a sentence in Germany for killing a Chechen militant; Roman Seleznev and Vladislav, accused of cybercrimes; and Vadim Konoschenok, convicted of smuggling technology and American ammunition for the Russian military-industrial complex.
In a statement on X (formerly Twitter), Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk confirmed that the exchange operation was conducted with the involvement of the Polish government. Meanwhile, US President Joe Biden extended a welcome home message to three American citizens and one green card holder.
Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store underscored the significance of international collaboration in the exchange, while German Chancellor Olaf Scholz expressed his anticipation in welcoming the individuals back to freedom.
Roman Seleznev, who was convicted of cybercrime and subsequently released in a prisoner exchange with the West, spoke to a film crew in Moscow on Sunday, providing details of his time in the US.
Roman was apprehended in the Maldives and subsequently transferred to the US without the requisite extradition procedures being followed, despite the absence of an extradition treaty between the US and the islands.
"I was handcuffed, forcibly removed and put on the plane. When I tried to resist, they called the local police, who allowed them to do all this. I think the police were just bribed because they say that the president of the country allowed them to take me out," Seleznev claimed.
Seleznev added that he was “not physically tortured, but more emotionally tortured.”
"They did not let me sleep, they did not let me eat, they brought some dubious prisoners who tried to talk to me or frighten me and so on. I had to report to the prison every two hours. They even woke me up in the night," he said.
Seleznev said that although he was not aware that he was on the prisoner exchange list, he never lost hope of returning to Russia.
"Preconditions and hints - no, I only got them from the television, when our president said that work is going on, there is [work on] the exchange of prisoners, which ones - I did not know. I didn't know if I was on the list or not, so I didn't know anything. The [staff of the] Embassy [of Russia in the United States] of America also came to see me often. I asked, well, you know, I asked if I was on the list, but they didn't know anything because it was the special services that did it - the FSB. So I never knew, but I hoped... I knew that my homeland would not forget me and that one day I would get out," Seleznev said.
The former detainee said that he will always remember his meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin upon his return home.
"I honestly almost fainted: the red carpet and our President Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin was waiting for us personally. And I saw him shaking hands with Vadim Krasikov [a former Russian special services officer convicted of the murder of a Chechen militant]. And I thought, well, maybe it's a special [meeting]. I followed him. And when he shakes my hand, I think I'm going to faint," Seleznev said.
In July 2014, Seleznev was detained in the Maldives and subsequently extradited to the United States to serve a lengthy prison sentence on cybercrime charges.
In August 2016, a federal court in Seattle handed down a 27-year prison sentence to the Russian citizen in connection with a cyber fraud case.
During his time in a US prison, Seleznev said he feels the conditions of his detention could be improved.
In 2022, the Russian Embassy in the United States highlighted what it perceived to be a lack of medical care for the prisoner by the US authorities.
In response to journalists' request to comment on Seleznev's claims, US Federal Bureau of Prisons (FBOP) informed that it did not "condone or allow the physical or mental torture" and took pride in "protecting and securing all individuals" entrusted in their custody.
On Thursday, the Turkish Foreign Ministry announced that 26 prisoners had been exchanged between Russia, the United States, Germany, Poland, Slovenia, Norway and Belarus, with the coordination of the Turkish Intelligence Directorate (MIT). Of those, 10 individuals, including two minors, were transferred to Russia. A total of 13 were sent to Germany and three additional individuals were relocated to the United States.
The Kremlin press service has confirmed that Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree pardoning 13 Russian and foreign nationals in order to facilitate the return of Russians detained abroad.
The individuals transferred to the custody of the West by Moscow included former US Marine Paul Whelan and Wall Street Journal journalist Evan Hershkovich, German citizens Kevin Leek, Demur Voronin, Herman Moyges and activist Patrick Schebel, who have been accused of treason, and publicists Vladimir Kara-Murza, Alsu Kurmasheva and Oleg Orlov, as well as public figures Lilia Chanysheva, Vadim Ostanin, Ksenia Fadeeva, politician Ilya Yashin, former executive director of Open Russia Andrei Pivovarov, and artist Alexandra Skolichenko.
The released Russians include spouses Artem and Anna Dultsev, Mikhail Mikushin and journalist Pavel Rubtsov, convicted of spying for Moscow; Vadim Krasikov, a former special services officer who served a sentence in Germany for killing a Chechen militant; Roman Seleznev and Vladislav, accused of cybercrimes; and Vadim Konoschenok, convicted of smuggling technology and American ammunition for the Russian military-industrial complex.
In a statement on X (formerly Twitter), Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk confirmed that the exchange operation was conducted with the involvement of the Polish government. Meanwhile, US President Joe Biden extended a welcome home message to three American citizens and one green card holder.
Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store underscored the significance of international collaboration in the exchange, while German Chancellor Olaf Scholz expressed his anticipation in welcoming the individuals back to freedom.