Slovenian court convicts two suspected Russian spies
Amidst speculation about an impending prisoner exchange between Russia and the USA, a court in Slovenia has sentenced two Russian citizens to over one and a half years in prison on suspicion of espionage. The couple pleaded guilty to "espionage and forgery of documents" during the trial at Ljubljana District Court. The court also ordered their expulsion.
According to media reports, the couple, a man and a woman in their 40s, were arrested in early December 2022 on suspicion of spying for Russia. They reportedly held Argentine passports and went by the names María Rosa Mayer Muñoz and Ludwig Gisch. Local media reported that they used a business and an art gallery in Ljubljana as a cover and assumed false identities.
A report by the Slovenian news platform N1 Info, citing anonymous sources, claimed that the couple was part of a larger prisoner exchange involving Russia, the USA, Germany, and Belarus, which was expected to take place in the following hours.
In recent days, according to activists in Russia, at least seven political prisoners have been transferred from their prisons or labor colonies, sparking speculation about a possible upcoming prisoner exchange. Among the transferred prisoners are Russian opposition figures and a German-Russian national convicted of treason.
Washington and Moscow are negotiating a swap involving Evan Gershkovich, a U.S. journalist imprisoned in Russia who was recently sentenced to 16 years for espionage.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has previously hinted that Gershkovich could be released as part of a prisoner exchange, mentioning the desired release of Vadim Krasikov, a Russian imprisoned in Germany for the so-called Tiergarten murder.
During the trial, the couple admitted to both espionage and the forgery of documents, which were key charges in their case. The forged documents could potentially have played a role in their alleged espionage activities.
