Who Is Alexander Vinnik?

Vinnik is a convicted Russian criminal who is being released as part of a prisoner exchange for Marc Fogel is an American schoolteacher from Pennsylvania.

I first reported on Vinnik for a piece I called Bitcoin & Consequence in 2017. It was the first sign linking Vladimir Putin’s support of Donald Trump to the burgeoning crypto market.

The movie is highly symbolic and preceded a 90 minute call between Trump and Putin which sets the stage for the most dramatic shift in global relations since World War 2…