The US and Russia are engaged in talks on a possible exchange of imprisoned Russian spies for foreigners held by Russia. Among those mentioned in these talks is Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny, and Russia is seeking the return of convicted murderer Vadim Krasikov, according a report in The Wall Street Journal, writes Ukrainska Pravda.
The report said that since 2021 Moscow has been considering the possibility of an exchange of Russian murderer Vadim Krasikov, sentenced to life imprisonment in Germany. The swap talks also include US citizen Paul Whelan and The Wall Street Journal journalist Evan Gershkovich, as well as Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny. However, a senior Western official involved in the talks with Russia has said that President
Putin is mainly interested in an exchange of Krasikov.
Russians want to exchange an American journalist for a killer
Moscow has raised the issue of exchanging Russian hitman Vadim Krasikov for American citizens – businessman Paul Whelan and journalist Evan Gershkovich, The Wall Street Journal reported.
FSB Colonel Krasikov is… pic.twitter.com/tk3qUeugcp
— NEXTA (@nexta_tv) September 10, 2023
The article noted that US President Joe Biden in July expressed his intention to discuss a Russian prisoner swap to bring home US citizens, but no further details were provided. Russia had previously said it would only consider such an exchange after the Gershkovich’s verdict.
Germany has not indicated whether it is considering an exchange of Vadim Krasikov. Legal problems may arise in Germany, as government lawyers have previously argued that
a convicted murderer cannot be exchanged.
Western officials have acknowledged that negotiations over Krasikov would be unpredictable because of the seriousness of his crime, as a German court found that Russia ordered the murder of Zelimkhan Khangoshvili.
Krasikov was sentenced to life imprisonment in 2021 for the murder of former Chechen commander Zelimkhan Khangoshvili in Germany in August 2019.
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