Source: pozirk.online
Among the people who appeared on the prisoner exchange lists on August 1 was Pavel Rubtsov, who was accused of spying for the Russian Federation in Poland. As the deputy chairman of the United Transitional Cabinet (UPC), the head of the National Anti-Crisis Management (NAM) Pavel Latushka told Pozirk, before his arrest, Rubtsov came to interview him.
Rubtsov worked in Poland until February 2022 and introduced himself as a Spanish journalist of Russian origin Pablo Gonzalez.
The media reported that Rubtsov-Gonzalez was detained on February 28, 2022, on suspicion of espionage.
«Gonzalez came to the NAM office at least twice to interview me for Spanish publications. I testified as a witness in this criminal case», — the politician said.
According to Latushka, the fact that a «representative of the Russian special services» sat opposite him “at arm’s length” demonstrates, on the one hand, the activity of the Russian special services on the territory of the European Union, and on the other hand, shows the reality of the risks and threats that arise for representatives of democratic forces».
«This once again confirms the need to strengthen security measures, including self-security for all those who continue to fight against the Lukashenko regime. The risks are absolutely real», — the head of the NAM emphasized.
As reported by the Russian website «Agentstvo» in November 2023, Pablo Gonzalez, who lived in the Basque Country (an autonomous region of Spain), was detained in February 2022 by Polish intelligence services and accused of working for the Main Intelligence Directorate (GRU) of the Russian Defense Ministry. Gonzalez (Rubtsov) had been part of the entourage of Zhanna, the daughter of the murdered Russian politician Boris Nemtsov, for several years and wrote detailed reports about her, her friends, and colleagues. These reports became available to the Polish intelligence services.
Before the exchange, Gonzalez was imprisoned in Poland.
On August 1, the Kremlin press service reported that Vladimir Putin had signed decrees pardoning Paul Whelan (former US Marine), Evan Gershkovich (American journalist), Kevin Leake (German-born, moved to Russia with his Russian mother), Demuri (Dieter) Voronin (Russian-German political scientist), Vladimir Kara-Murza, Alsu Kurmasheva, Liliya Chanysheva, Vadim Ostanin, Ksenia Fadeeva, Alexandra Skochilenko, Ilya Yashin, Andrei Pivovarov and Oleg Orlov.
In exchange, Moscow received Russians convicted in the US and the EU. Among them is intelligence officer Vadim Krasikov, who received a life sentence in Germany for murder; Artem and Anna Dultsev, who were found guilty of espionage and were serving their sentences in Slovenia, as well as Mikhail Mikushin, Pavel Rubtsov, Roman Seleznev, Vladislav Klyushin, and Vadim Konoshchenko.
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