The United States has agreed to extradite Alexander Vinnik, a Russian national and co-founder of the cryptocurrency exchange BTC-E, to Russia. This decision is part of a deal involving the exchange of citizens, with the U.S. receiving Mark Vogel, a citizen convicted of drug trafficking in Russia. Vinnik's lawyer, Alexander Bach, stated that he last communicated with his client on Tuesday and that Vinnik was unaware of his arrest by U.S. authorities. A recent removal of the arrest warrant for Vinnik from the U.S. Federal Bureau of Prisons database has raised questions. However, Vinnik’s return to Russia does not necessarily mean his freedom, as Russian officials are also investigating his role in the operations of BTC-E. Last year, it was reported that Vinnik admitted to laundering $9 billion via the cryptocurrency exchange.