Russia and US May Exchange Spies
The New York Times reports on the possibility that the US and Russia may plan a spy exchange:
MOSCOW — The mother of a Russian scientist convicted of spying for the United States said Wednesday that her son had been moved to Moscow from a penal colony in preparation for a possible trade involving the Russian spy suspects detained last month in the United States.
American officials confirmed that discussions were taking place between Washington and Moscow about a possible exchange. But the officials, who would speak only on condition of anonymity, declined to give details and said no deal was likely to be completed on Wednesday.
The scientist, Igor Sutyagin, was arrested in 1999 and accused of passing secrets about nuclear submarines and missile warning systems to a British company that prosecutors said was a front for the C.I.A. Mr. Sutyagin, who was convicted in 2004 and sentenced to 15 years in prison, had maintained his innocence.
In an interview, Mr. Sutyagin’s mother, Svetlana E. Sutyagina, said that he had been transferred from a prison colony in northern Russia to Moscow, and that she had met with him on Wednesday morning.
Once in Lefortovo prison in Moscow, she said, her son met with American officials in the presence of Russian security service officers. Ms. Sutyagina said that he did not know the Americans’ names or positions and that they had remained silent while the Russians offered the trade.
“The conversation was with our generals,” she said. “The Americans weren’t deciding anything.”
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