Late Russian opposition leader Navalny was near release in prisoner swap, reveals investigative journalist
In September 2023, the Wall Street Journal reported on a possible exchange of Krasikov for American prisoners held in Russia, likely including Marine Corps veteran Paul Whelan, Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, and Alexei Navalny. President Putin mentioned the possibility of exchanging Krasikov in an interview with Tucker Carlson.
8:54 AM EST, February 26, 2024
After Navalny's death, the German newspaper Bild confirmed the active negotiations on this issue in which Moscow, Washington, and Berlin were reported to have participated.
"Alexei Navalny was soon to be released," wrote Bild columnist Filipp Piatov. "However, the Kremlin clearly did not want to release him under any circumstances," he added.
"Navalny could be alive today"
Maria Pevchikh stated in a video recording on Alexei Navalny's YouTube page on Monday that a day before Navalny's death on February 15, negotiations about the prisoner exchange were nearing completion. "I received confirmation of this news," she said.
"He could be here today instead of me," Pevchikh voiced in the recording.
According to Pevchikh, preparations for the "humanitarian" exchange of prisoners involving Russian spies for political prisoners from Russia started two years ago. From her account, it appears that Navalny's associates had contacted German and American officials, businessmen, and politicians regarding this matter.
Putin was eager to get Krasikov back. Before his life sentence in Berlin in 2021, Putin had appointed Nikolai Patrushev, the secretary of the Security Council of the Russian Federation, to explore the possibility of exchanging the killer for prisoners held in Russia.
According to Pevchikh, Putin came to understand that the only way to repatriate Krasikov was to exchange him for Navalny. "Putin, disturbed by the thought of Navalny free, thought to eliminate the bargain," Pevchikh relates in the recording. "It's the behavior of a deranged mafioso," she concluded.
Krasikov is serving a life sentence in Germany
In 2006, Putin legitimized the possibility of assassinating "enemies of the state” living abroad. By 2019, five of the 19 people on this list had either died or allegedly committed suicide, including Khangoshvili, a Chechen field commander perceived by the Kremlin as a nemesis of Russia.
Krasikov openly shot Khangoshvili within sight of numerous witnesses in the Tiergarten, a central district of Berlin near the Chancellery. A German court concluded that the murder was meant to send a stern message to those residing outside Russia who are considered enemies of the state: "Even if you seek refuge in the West, we will track you down."
Although Krasikov was arrested soon after the murder on August 23, 2019, for two years, the court in Berlin struggled to establish his true identity. The suspect told German authorities that his name was Vadim Sokolov and he was a tourist without associating with the Russian government. The Russian embassy similarly confirmed that the man in custody was Vadim Sokolov, not Vadim Krasikov.
However, German prosecutors managed to uncover his true identity as a veteran of Russian covert operations with the assistance of the Ukrainian police and investigative platform Bellingcat. The prosecution inferred that Krasikov was likely connected with a secret FSB department specializing in operations outside Russia.
In December 2021, Krasikov was sentenced to life in prison. Shortly after the verdict, he was moved to a maximum-security prison in Bavaria.
