A US citizen, Travis Leake, has been remanded in custody by a Russian court on suspicion of “drug trafficking” amid rising tensions between Moscow and Washington related to the conflict in Ukraine.
Travis Leake is described by the American channel CNN as a musician and music producer who has lived in Russia for many years. The Khamovnitchesky court in Moscow also presents him as a “former paratrooper” and accuses him of having “organized the sale of drugs to young people”.
The court explains that the US citizen “will remain detained until August 6, 2023” awaiting his eventual trial, a detention that may be extended. He faces several years in prison.
Arbitrary detentions, according to Washington
Arrests of US citizens in Russia have soared in recent years as relations between Moscow and Washington have soured since the launch of Russia’s offensive in Ukraine. In March, the Russian security services, for example, arrested an American journalist, Evan Gershkovich, on charges of “espionage” which he denies. Paul Whelan, a former petty officer in the Marine Corps, is serving a 16-year prison sentence since 2020 for “espionage.”
Arbitrary arrests, according to Washington, which accuses Moscow of carrying out these arrests to use US prisoners as a bargaining chip against Russians detained in the United States. Such an exchange had been organized in particular in December: the United States had released a Russian arms dealer, Viktor Bout, in order to obtain the freedom of Brittney Griner, an American basketball star.
Source: BFM TV
