Brazil’s government has turned down a US request to extradite a suspected Russian spy, arguing that Russia would eventually receive him instead.
Prior to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Sergey Vladimirovich Cherkasov is accused of entering the country using a false name in order to spy on Americans.
According to a statement released by Brazil’s Ministry of Justice and Public Security on Thursday, Cherkasov’s extradition request to Russia, where he is accused of “drug trafficking,” was authorised on March 17 by Brazil’s Federal Supreme Court.
The Brazilian statement emphasised that the request from Russia came before the one from the US for extradition.
The US Justice Department claims that Cherkasov entered the country in 2018 under the pretence of enrolling in graduate school in Washington, DC.
The case is being handled by US authorities, who claim that after creating the false identity in Brazil, he began using the alias Victor Muller Ferreira. In 2022, when he returned to Brazil, officials there detained him on charges of fraud and identity theft.
Cherkasov’s extradition to Russia has been accepted, but he cannot be sent there until his Brazilian prison sentence for forgery has been served.
According to TASS, Cherkasov was given a 15-year prison term for the fraud by a Brazilian court in July 2022, although this was later reduced to five years and two months after an appeal.
According to three sources familiar with the situation, CNN previously reported in May that the Biden administration has been looking for high-value Russian nationals that could persuade Moscow to free two Americans, Evan Gershkovich and Paul Whelan, who the White House believes are being held unlawfully.
Cherkasov was charged by the DOJ with working for the military intelligence service of Russia. He might be a good candidate for a prisoner swap with Russia if kept in US custody, it’s possible.