Does Putin Want a Prisoner Swap? Russia Detains Swede After Arresting Japanese Journalist

Russia has detained a Swedish national on suspicion of planning attacks on military facilities, days after arresting a Japanese journalist on espionage charges. The arrests have raised questions about whether Moscow is seeking leverage for future prisoner exchanges, following a controversial remark by former Russian president Dmitry Medvedev.

Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) said on Thursday that the Swedish man had illegally crossed the border into the Pskov region, allegedly intending to carry out sabotage and terrorist attacks on military installations. The agency claimed he had previously served as a drone-unit commander in Ukraine’s military.

Russian media identified the 35-year-old as Freddy Lindholm, from Stockholm. The FSB alleged that he entered Russia under the pretext of joining its armed forces. He has been charged with illegally crossing the border and could face additional terrorism-related charges. These allegations have not been independently verified.

The Swedish Foreign Ministry said it was aware of media reports but was not currently handling the case. Ukraine had not immediately commented.

The detention followed Russia’s arrest of Yuki Imai, a journalist working for Japan’s Hokkaido Shimbun newspaper. The FSB accused him of collecting information about Russia’s defence capabilities on behalf of Japanese intelligence. He was detained on Sakhalin Island while preparing to leave the country and subsequently transferred to Moscow.

Japan protested the arrest, demanded an explanation and sought consular access and assurances of fair and humane treatment. The journalist’s detention has further strained relations between Moscow and Tokyo, already tense over the war in Ukraine, sanctions and their longstanding territorial dispute over the Kuril Islands.

The arrests also came after Medvedev suggested Russia might need to replenish its prisoner-exchange pool with European and American nationals to secure the return of Russians held abroad.

His remarks followed the arrest of Kremlin propagandist Mikhail Zvinchuk in Montenegro. Medvedev argued that Western countries would continue detaining Russians and suggested Moscow should respond in kind.

Russia has previously secured the release of intelligence personnel through high-profile exchanges. In August 2024, US journalist Evan Gershkovich and other detainees were freed in a major Russia-West prisoner swap that also returned Russian intelligence operatives.