Russia Building Up Another Set Of Hostages?

[sandyRoe]

A ballet dancer with Russian/American citizenship has been sentenced to 12 years imprisonment in Moscow for 'contributing to a terrorist organisation '.

While in America she had donated $60 to an Ukrainian charity.

The evidence of this, on her phone, seems to have been enough to convict her.

Are there any Russians in Western custody who could be swapped for the young woman?

[ToraToraTora]

why even go there?

[sandyRoe]

She was visiting her mother.

[ToraToraTora]

how is that relevant?

[sandyRoe]

"Why even go there?"

She probably would not have went if she had no family ties there.

[Peter Pedant]

Sandy - after the war, there were plenty of people ( DPs) who could not go back home as they  wd get arrested and send to a gulag....

[sandyRoe]

Was it Tartars who were in Italy when the war ended who were shipped to Yugoslavia and death at the hands of the Communists?

[youngmafbog]

Prisoner exchanges happen all the time, just not reported so probably what will happen here at some point. Or if she gets too hot to handle thanks to the press a balcony somewhere will await.

But as TTT says, why go back? Just becasue you have familly really isnt reason enough for a country like that.

[sandyRoe]

If you were an innocent person, as I assume this young lady is, you might think the state would have no interest in you.  And that's likely true, but they would be very interested in the fact that she holds an American passport.

'Why go back?', is a good question.  Family bonds are strong and the naive thought that you couldn't be of interest to the state is enough to put you in danger.

[Khandro]

......Under Putin, the Russian state has become, in essence, an organized crime syndicate. Its internal logic, processes, incentive structure, and behavior resemble those of a mafia family. And the most destabilizing moment for a crime syndicate is when the mafia boss looks weak.....

Atlantic Council

[ToraToraTora]

sandy: "If you were an innocent person, as I assume this young lady is, you might think the state would have no interest in you.  " - mate they arrested a woman last week for wearing blue and yellow shoes.

[douglas9401]

We arrest people in this country for wearing comedy wigs and brown facepaint and allow whiny people the oxygen of publicity.

Everywhere is ridiculous eventually.

[Old_Geezer]

Perhaps they are building up another set.  They'll need it to exchange with the inexperienced conscripts being sent against the Ukrainian incursion as cannon fodder. A fair few will end up being lucky enough to be captured instead.