52 mins agoImage caption, Navalny used to be arrested in January 2021 on trumped-up chargedAlexei Navalny used to be about to be freed in a prisoner change when he died, consistent with his best friend Maria Pevchikh.She stated the Russian opposition chief used to be going to be exchanged for Vadim Krasikov, a Russian hitman who’s serving a existence sentence for homicide in Germany.Two US electorate recently held in Russia had been additionally going to be a part of the deal, Ms Pevchikh claimed.She added that negotiations had been at their ultimate level on 15 February.Day after today, Mr Navalny died in his cellular within the jail colony in Siberia the place he used to be being hung on a 19-year sentence over fees that had been extensively observed as politically motivated. Jail officers stated the 47-year-old had fallen in poor health following a “stroll”.In a video posted on Mr Navalny’s YouTube channel, Ms Pevchikh, who’s the chairwoman of his Anti-Corruption Basis (FBK), stated negotiations for a prisoner change were beneath method for 2 years.She added that when the beginning of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 “it used to be transparent that Putin would forestall at not anything” and that Mr Navalny “needed to be free of prison at any price, and urgently”.In step with Ms Pevchik, Mr Navalny used to be going to be freed beneath a humanitarian change and American and German officers had been concerned within the talks.The method in spite of everything led to a concrete plan for a prisoner change in December, she stated. Vadim Krasikov – a Russian who used to be discovered to blame of taking pictures former Chechen rise up commander Zelimkhan Khangoshvili within the head at shut vary in Germany in 2019 – used to be going to be a part of the deal. Two US nationals recently held in Russia had been additionally going to be exchanged, Ms Pevchikh stated, despite the fact that she didn’t identify them. In step with Ms Pevchikh, Russian President Vladimir Putin modified his thoughts on the remaining minute. She stated he “may now not tolerate Navalny being loose” – and because there used to be an settlement “in theory” for Krasikov’s liberating, Mr Putin determined to “simply do away with the bargaining chip”. “Putin has long past mad with hatred for Navalny,” Ms Pevchikh stated. “He is aware of Navalny may’ve defeated him.”A spokesperson for the German govt stated on Monday that the federal government “can’t remark at the experiences” of a deliberate prisoner change right now.Inside an hour of e-newsletter, Ms Pevchikh’s video had had loads of hundreds of perspectives. The Kremlin has now not but reacted to the claims put ahead via Ms Pevchikh, however President Putin’s spokesman Dmitry Peskov has up to now stated allegations of presidency involvement into Navalny’s demise had been “absurd”.
