Breaking: Moscow's Khimki court has just sentenced US basketball player Brittney Griner to 9 years in penal colony and a 1 m rub ($16 k) fine on charges of carrying residue of hash in her vaping atomizer. sportrbc.ru/news/62ebbb639…
The court gave 9 years vs the 9.5 years requested by the prosecutor, so de facto the maximum requested term. This was expected as Putin needs a stick and a carrot for his swap negotiations with the US.
Victor Bout, Russia's most prolific arms dealer, dictator-corrupter and sanction-buster, is on the table. However, in a game of chicken, Russia *says* it won't trade US citizens Griner + Paul Whelan for Bout - although the value of Bout to the Kremlin is irreplaceable.
(think of Bout as of 100 times more competent - and educated - Prigozhin). However, Putin understands the domestic pressure on Biden to deliver, and will bluff to the end. Including asking for the impossible: his serial hitman Vadim Krasikov to be released form German jail.
I can imagine the US might tentatively try to pressure - or even offer carrots - to Germany to release Krasikov to Russia. However, there's no way Germany will agree to release a convicted hit man into the wild - and encourage future detentions by Russia as "swap capital"
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