The Crimes of Putin’s Trader

This episode details the historic prisoner swap that took place on August 1, 2024, between the U.S., Russia, and other nations. Vladislav Klyushin, among others, was sent back to his home country of Russia as part of the exchange, cutting short his nine-year prison sentence.

Eamon Javers continues his conversation with veteran CIA spy Jim Olson about a Mission Impossible-style raid Olson led on a Russian communications line outside of Moscow. He also reveals the one thing he ever refused to do for the agency - even if it meant protecting his country.

Eamon Javers talks to a spy on the other side - a former Russian FSB intelligence officer who has defected to the United States and now lives under U.S. protection. For the interview, his identity has been concealed as he still is under threat of Russian retaliation. He’s been studying the Vladislav Klyushin case and explains how Klyushin is just one of multiple Russian intelligence connected insider traders. The veteran spy alleges that this is a deliberate strategy by Vladimir Putin to destabilize Western economies and steer profits to his cronies.

Eamon Javers interviews veteran CIA clandestine operator Jim Olson, who worked for the agency in Moscow at the height of the cold war. Olson explains how the CIA tries to recruit Russians, like Klyushin, to turn on their country by using money, ideology, and ego. He also reveals spy tactics used by the CIA, such as the promise of U.S. college admissions for defector’s children and access to top notch healthcare for sick family members. Olson also gives listeners a course in how U.S. spies are taught to operate undercover.

Klyushin’s scheme starts to unravel and the online brokerage that he and his team have been using begins to raise questions about their remarkable success rate in the stock market. In a recorded call, Klyushin assures bankers that he is not using insider information while the FBI begins to move in to make the arrest. Klyushin’s Swiss attorney reveals this case isn’t about insider trading but rather it’s spy versus spy payback.