An best friend of Navalny’s posted a
video on YouTube Monday claiming {that a} prisoner switch that will unfastened Navalny were in negotiations for months ahead of his demise. Maria Pevchikh additional stated that “
via the spring of remaining yr our plan was once authorized.”
The officers stated that there was once no plan to this point complex as Pevchikh claimed.
Pevchikh stated the deal incorporated Vadim Krasikov, an FSB agent jailed in Germany for murdering a former Chechen commander in 2019, and “two Americans.” Pevchikh added she had won affirmation past due on Feb. 15 that this sort of switch was once going to happen however believed Putin then modified his thoughts. The Kremlin didn’t right away remark at the Navalny staff’s allegations.
Navalny died on Feb. 16 whilst strolling round his Arctic penal colony. Russian government stated Navalny collapsed because of “unexpected demise syndrome,” a declare the dissident’s allies and a few Kremlin mavens have argued is a canopy for an assassination. The U.S. positioned extra sanctions on Russia because of the opposition chief’s dying.
The officers declined to offer additional main points at the discussions, together with whether or not Krasikov was once a part of the talks. The U.S. is all in favour of securing the discharge of former Marine Paul Whelan and Wall Side road Magazine reporter Evan Gershkovich, each wrongfully detained in Russia. There’s lengthy been hypothesis that the united stateswould attempt to persuade Germany to free up Krasikov in trade for the pair.
It’s imaginable the U.S. may additionally have requested for Navalny to be incorporated within the trade for Krasikov. German executive spokesperson Christiane Hoffmann declined to remark at the factor at a press briefing Monday. The German embassy in Washington additionally declined to remark.
The German newspaper Bild
speculated in a while after Navalny’s demise {that a} prisoner trade was once within the works.
Eva Hartog and Hans Joachim von der Burchard contributed to this file.
