Associates of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny said Monday that talks were underway shortly before his death to exchange him for a Russian imprisoned in Germany.
“Alexei Navalny could have been sitting here now, today. It’s not a figure of speech,” Maria Pevchikh, a close associate who lives outside Russia, said in a video statement posted on social media. She said she received confirmation the talks were in the “final stages” on Feb. 15, the day before Navalny was reported dead.
Her claims, which were reiterated on social media by other Navalny aides, could not be independently confirmed and she did not offer any evidence to back them up.
According to Pevchikh, Navalny and two U.S. citizens held in Russia were supposed to be swapped for Vadim Krasikov. He was serving a life sentence in Germany for the 2019 killing in Berlin of Zelimkhan “Tornike” Khangoshvili, a 40-year-old Georgian citizen of Chechen descent. German judges said Krasikov acted on the orders of Russian authorities, who gave him a false identity, passport and resources to carry out the killing.
She didn’t identify the U.S. citizens that were supposedly part of the deal. There are several in custody in Russia, including Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich arrested on espionage charges, and Paul Whelan, a corporate security executive from Michigan, convicted of espionage and serving a long prison sentence. They and the U.S. government dispute the charges against them.
German officials have refused to comment when asked if there had been any effort by Russia to secure a swap of Krasikov.
U.S. commentator Tucker Carlson earlier this month asked President Vladimir Putin about the prospects of exchanging Gershkovich, and Putin said the Kremlin was open to negotiations. He pointed to a man imprisoned in a “U.S.-allied country” for “liquidating a bandit” who had allegedly killed Russian soldiers during separatist fighting in Chechnya. Putin didn’t mention names but appeared to refer to Krasikov.
Pevchikh alleged in her video, without offering evidence, that Putin “wouldn’t tolerate” setting Navalny free and decided to “get rid of the bargaining chip.”
Asked at a regular news conference in Berlin about the claim by the Navalny team, German government spokesperson Christiane Hoffmann said she couldn’t comment.
Tatiana Stanovaya of the Carnegie Russia Eurasia Center said on Telegram that Putin, “fundamentally, always makes exchanges according to the one-for-one formula” and may have been ready to swap “Krasikov for journalist Evan Gershkovich.”
A Western government official with knowledge of the situation who insisted on anonymity said no offer involving Navalny and U.S. citizens was made.
Sergey Radchenko, a professor at Johns Hopkins’ School of Advanced International Studies, said he was skeptical that Putin would agree to exchange Navalny and then “murder him at the last moment to avoid this exchange.”
Navalny, 47, Russia’s best-known opposition politician, died Feb. 16 in an Arctic penal colony while serving a 19-year sentence on extremism charges that he rejected as politically motivated.
Navalny had been jailed since January 2021, when he returned to Moscow of his own accord after recuperating in Germany from nerve agent poisoning he blamed on the Kremlin. He was later handed three prison sentences on charges he rejected as politically motivated.
His family spent a week fighting with the authorities, who reportedly insisted on a secret funeral, before his body was returned to them. Prominent Russians released videos calling on authorities to release the body. Western nations have hit Russia with more sanctions in response to Navalny’s death as well as for the invasion of Ukraine, which marked its second anniversary on Saturday.
Navalny’s spokeswoman Kira Yarmysh said Monday they were looking for a venue for a memorial service later this week.
___
Associated Press writer Geir Moulson in Berlin contributed. Associated Press reporter Joshua Boak contributed from Washington, D.C., and Elise Morton from London.
Support HuffPostOur 2024 Coverage Needs You
At HuffPost, we believe that everyone needs high-quality journalism, but we understand that not everyone can afford to pay for expensive news subscriptions. That is why we are committed to providing deeply reported, carefully fact-checked news that is freely accessible to everyone.
Whether you come to HuffPost for updates on the 2024 presidential race, hard-hitting investigations into critical issues facing our country today, or trending stories that make you laugh, we appreciate you. The truth is, news costs money to produce, and we are proud that we have never put our stories behind an expensive paywall.
Would you join us to help keep our stories free for all? Your contribution of as little as $2 will go a long way.
As Americans head to the polls in 2024, the very future of our country is at stake. At HuffPost, we believe that a free press is critical to having well-informed voters. That’s why our journalism is free for everyone, even though other newsrooms retreat behind expensive paywalls.
We cannot do this without your help. Support our newsroom by contributing as little as $2 to keep our news free for all.
As Americans head to the polls in 2024, the very future of our country is at stake. At HuffPost, we believe that a free press is critical to creating well-informed voters. That’s why our journalism is free for everyone, even though other newsrooms retreat behind expensive paywalls.
Our journalists will continue to cover the twists and turns during this historic presidential election. With your help, we’ll bring you hard-hitting investigations, well-researched analysis and timely takes you can’t find elsewhere. Reporting in this current political climate is a responsibility we do not take lightly, and we thank you for your support.
Contribute as little as $2 to keep our news free for all.
Support HuffPost
>>> Read full article>>>
Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source : The Huffington Post – https://www.huffpost.com/entry/navalny-prisoner-swap-final-stages-death_n_65dcc628e4b005b8583111e3