Investigative journalist site Agenstvo has published information about Russian President Vladimir Putin’s alleged involvement in prisoner swap talks and Navalny’s death.
President of Russia Vladimir Putin discussed To Alexei Navalny about being exchanged for Russian prisoners just hours before the opposition politician’s death, reports the Agenstvo website of The Moscow Times by.
The reporters had interviewed four people about the discussions related to the exchange of prisoners. One of them was a reporter Hristo Grozev, who had followed the secret negotiations. He tells about Putin’s consent.
– Based on what we knew in the last days before the assassination, our impression was that he (even to the surprise of the negotiators on the Russian side) had agreed to the exchange, says Hristo Grozev.
A site for investigative journalists Agency according to Putin, the oligarch discussed the matter Roman Abramovich through and would have been ready to exchange possibly an American in addition to Navalny by Evan Gershkovich mixed by Paul Whelan to two Russian men.
One of them was an assassin Vadim Krasikov and according to one source the other would have been Vladislav Klyushin, who has been sentenced to nine years in prison in the United States for hacking and securities fraud. Krasikov was convicted of murdering a Chechen man on behalf of Russia in Berlin in 2019.
– For Putin, it is important to bring Krasikov back to Russia so that the “people in the corporation” understand that they will not be abandoned even in the case of the most inhuman orders, describes one source.
Putin already seemed to agree to the exchange, but backed out at the last minute.
Source: Putin ordered the killing on the morning of the day of death
Late last month, Navalny’s supporter Maria Pevchih reported that the Russian opposition leader was murdered because he was going to be released in a prisoner exchange. According to him, the negotiations to get Navalny out of Russia started after Russia attacked Ukraine. Western officials supported the plan since February last year.
According to Agenstvo, the negotiations were prolonged, as the different parties had several demands. Germany had also been reluctant to join the negotiations from the beginning, as it believed that its image would possibly be damaged, described one source.
According to Agenstvo’s sources, the end of the negotiations was looming. Then on February 16, Putin heard that Germany agreed to surrender Vadim Krasikov.
– After hearing about the possibility of Krasikov’s extradition, Putin cold-bloodedly ordered Navalny’s death, estimates one source for the website.
According to Maria Pevchih, Putin was not ready to see Navalny free. Hristo Grožev believes that agreeing to the prisoner exchange was something else for Putin.
– I believe that it was either a cover-up of murder plans or a strategic move to bring the negotiations almost to a close, because Germany agreed in principle to hand over Krasikov, Grožev thinks.
Navalny’s death was announced on February 16, just four hours after Putin had discussed a prisoner swap with Roman Abramovich.
Navalny was buried in Moscow on March 1.