Russia: A bald, bearded man walked down the steps of the plane carrying two bags and then extended his right hand in greeting. His black T-shirt bore an image of a Stormtrooper, a soldier from George Lucas’ Star Wars films. Below the character, four words were written: “Your empire needs you.” Pablo Gonzalez Yagüe, 42, also known as Pavel Rubtsov, a Spanish-Russian journalist — and apparently a Star Wars fan — was part of the biggest prisoner swap between Russia and the West since the Cold War. Also awaiting his arrival and extending his hand at Moscow’s Vnukovo International Airport was Russian President Vladimir Putin. The swap, which took place on August 2, involved 26 people, including alleged hitman Vadim Krasikov from Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB), Wall Street Journal reporter Ivan Gershkovich and Russian opposition politicians Vladimir Kara-Murza and Ilya Yashin. The last two are said to be targets of Rubtsov’s reports to Moscow handlers. Rubtsov, who Polish security services have accused of working for Russia’s military intelligence agency, has never admitted to being a Russian spy. He was arrested on February 27, 2022, in the Polish city of Przemysl while reporting on the influx of Ukrainian refugees following Russia’s invasion. A few days earlier, he had been reporting from eastern Ukraine but Ukrainian security services had asked him to leave the country. Born in Moscow in 1982, Rubtsov acquired a dual identity at birth. His Spanish side is from his mother while his father is Russian.
Journalist Pavel Rubtsov released in Russia-West prisoner swap?
