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Weeks before the death of Vladimir Putin’s most vocal critic, Alexei Navalny, he was set to be freed from prison in exchange of a Russian agent imprisoned in Germany, however, Putin was unwilling to let him go free and ordered Navalny’s killing, said one of Navalny’s associates.
“Navalny was supposed to be freed in the coming days,” Maria Pevchikh said in a video statement posted Monday. Negotiations were underway to trade Alexei Navalny along with two Americans, for a Russian agent imprisoned in Germany.
In her video message, Pevchikh had also claimed that the idea of trading Navalny for Vadim Krasikov, a convicted Russian assassin serving a life sentence in Germany, was presented to Vladimir Putin by Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich,
Talks to release Navalny had reached a “final stage”
The negotiations to release Navalny had reached “final stage” after two of efforts. However, Pevchikh accused Russian president of ordering the killing of Navalny because he was unwilling to let his most outspoken critic go free.
Vadim Krasikov, who was expected to be traded for Navalny, had links to Russia’s Federal Security Service, known as the FSB. At present, he is serving life sentence in Germany for the 2019 killing of a former Chechen rebel in a Berlin park. In her video message, Pevchikh, didn’t mentioned the name of the two Americans that were a part of the prisoner swap.
On being asked about the prisoner exchange negotiations between Russia and the US, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told Bloomberg, “I know nothing about this agreement.”
“Putin was clearly told that the only way to get Krasikov is to exchange him for Navalny,” said Pevchikh. Instead, he decided to “get rid of the bargaining chip” and “offer someone else when the time comes.”
According to Bloomberg, the US and Russia have been negotiating a deal finalise a swap involving Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich and businessman Paul Whelan. Gershkovich was detained by the FSB on allegations of spying. He was detained by the FSB in March last year. Whereas, Whelan, a former US Marine, was sentenced to jail for 16 years in 2020 on spying charges which he rejects.
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Published: 26 Feb 2024, 10:06 PM IST
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