INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
Two more Russian political prisoners have been moved to unknown locations, lawyers and relatives said Tuesday, coming days after the
transfer of four high-profile dissidents that has fueled speculation of a potential prisoner swap between Moscow and the West.Imprisoned
activists Lilia Chanysheva, Ksenia Fadeyeva and Oleg Orlov were reportedly moved from their jail cells in recent days, with allies saying
that their whereabouts were unknown
So, too, was the anti-war artist Alexandra Skochilenko transferred from the St
Petersburg correctional facility where she was placed last year.On Tuesday, jailed opposition figure and former Moscow city councilman Ilya
Yashin was taken from the Smolensk region penal colony where he was being held, a group of his supporters said, citing his lawyer Tatiana
Solomina.Yashin, a longtime ally of the late activist Alexei Navalny, was handed an eight-and-a-half-year prison sentence in 2022 for
Arkhangelsk region correctional facility where he was being held for treason, a group of supporters said Tuesday
closed-door trial late last year.It was not immediately clear if any of the sudden prisoner transfers were connected
However, some political observers are hinting that both the scale and timing of the transfers may signal that Moscow is preparing a prison
said Tatiana Stanovaya, a senior fellow at the Carnegie Russia Eurasia Center.Yashin previously said he did not want to be part of any
prison exchange.The sudden transfer of the six political prisoners comes less than two weeks after Wall Street Journal reporter Evan
Gershkovich and Russian-American journalist Alsu Kurmasheva were sentenced to jail in Russia
Observers believe Washington and Moscow may soon reach a deal on exchanging both journalists with Russian nationals jailed in the West.When
asked later on Tuesday whether preparations were underway for a swap involving Gershkovich and other prisoners, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry
