Russia’s deputy foreign minister has claimed that over 60 Russian citizens are being held “hostage” in American prisons, according to an interview published in state media Tuesday. Sergei Vershinin said U.S. authorities “have been literally hunting down Russians all over the world for many years” and “seeking to detain our citizens on false charges with subsequent transfer to American punitive justice with a predictable result.” “The total number of Russian citizens, in fact, taken hostage, exceeds 60 people,” he added. Vershinin did not offer any specific evidence or examples of Russians being jailed in the U.S. on false charges. His inflammatory comments come as officials in Washington, D.C. hope to broker a new prisoner swap deal for former U.S. Marine Paul Whelan following the successful release of Brittney Griner from Russian authorities earlier this month.
