Russian Hackers Stole Millions from U.S. Investors through Putin's Trading

The White House declared a significant, multinational prisoner exchange on Thursday, with the United States, Russia, and other countries involved. As part of the historic agreement, the Russian government freed prominent Americans imprisoned there, including Evan Gershkovich, a Wall Street Journal reporter who had been held captive for over a year.

In addition to the goods traded, a group of Russians who were imprisoned for different offenses in the U.S. and other countries were also included in the exchange.

A wealthy young Russian entrepreneur named Vladislav Klyushin, who was involved in one of the most damaging insider trading schemes in Wall Street history, was incarcerated in a federal prison.

Klyushin and his business empire have been the focus of a documentary being produced by CNBC for much of the past year.

In early 2021, a private jet carrying a young Russian oligarch and his wife landed at Sion airport in the Swiss Alps.

The airport in Sion is an hour away from the renowned ski resort of Zermatt, which is a popular destination for the world's elite to ski and party. However, the truly affluent individuals opt to walk across the tarmac and board helicopters to reach the resort directly.

The young oligarch was at the pinnacle of his influence. He had established a thriving enterprise in Moscow and maintained ties with the Russian government's top echelons.

He earned the ultimate prize by working for the office of Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Since the oligarch's flight left Moscow, U.S. law enforcement had been monitoring it.

They intended to apprehend him and accuse him of offenses that directly targeted the American financial system.

In Switzerland, on a private jet, was Vladislav Klyushin, the owner of M-13, a cybersecurity company in Moscow.

Klyushin's real business was hacking into American companies and stealing confidential information, which he then used to make trades on Wall Street before the information became public.

Klyushin's multilevel crime involved illegal insider trading facilitated by illegal hacking, resulting in significant financial gains for him. The victims of his crimes were investors in prominent American companies.

The global financial system is a perilous realm where nations showcase their might and weaken their opponents through market manipulation.

Russia views the US stock market as a significant asset and a potential point of vulnerability.

A former high-ranking member of the Russian FSB intelligence service stated that the conflict between Russia and the West is currently a war, with the financial sector being one of the battlefields. He spoke anonymously to CNBC due to concerns for his safety.

An extensive investigation by CNBC has uncovered one of the most severe cases of insider trading in Wall Street history.

But it's not over yet.

In contrast, our investigation uncovered a continuous danger to American businesses, shareholders, and the stock market.

According to federal prosecutor Steven Frank, Klyushin was "like the kind of people we prosecute for white-collar crime in the US every day, who don't need to resort to it because they are already successful."

"Frank, who worked on the case, stated that he was wealthy and had a very nice house and cars. However, he wanted more and found a way to access easy money, which he took."