Achi news desk-
Berlin (Newsdesk) In a recent interview, Russian President Vladimir Putin confirmed the news that his country would release “patriotic” Russian citizen Vadim Krasikov (suspect of murder) in exchange for the release of American journalist Evan Grishkovich imprisoned in Russia wanted
It was in the year 2013 when a restaurant owner in Moscow, the capital of Russia, was shot dead. The attacker got off the bike, fired two shots at his target and fled the scene.
Almost six years after the assassination in Russia, the exiled Chechen commander Zelimkhan Khangoshuly was killed in a park in Berlin, Germany, in almost the same way. He was also shot dead by a motorcycle-borne assailant in broad daylight.
However, the attacker was arrested shortly afterwards when he was disposing of the pistol and wig used in the attack in the river Spree near the German parliament building.
The identity document found on the arrested killer listed his name as ‘Vadim Sokolov’, but authorities soon discovered that this was not his real identity and name.
And then it turns out that the ferocious attacker was none other than a Russian citizen, Vadim Krasikov, who belonged to the Russian security service ‘FSB’. This was the same man who killed a restaurant owner in Moscow six years ago, in 2013.
And now, in a recent interview with the host of the American TV show Tucker Carlson, Russian President Vladimir Putin confirmed reports that his country would accept “patriotic” Russians in exchange for the release of imprisoned American journalist Ivan Grishkovich The citizen wants to release Vadim Krasikov (accused of murder).
Ivan Gurshkovich, a reporter associated with the famous American journal Wall Street Journal, was detained in Russia a year ago on charges of espionage. The journalist’s newspaper and the US government deny accusations of espionage against him by Russia.
Ivan Gurshkovich is not the only American citizen imprisoned in Russia whose fate is linked to the alleged murderer Vadim Krasikov. Former US Marine Paul Whelan and US-Russian citizen Karamsheva have also been detained in Russia on espionage charges, arrests widely seen as politically motivated.
Even Russian opposition leader Alex Navalny, who died in prison after serving a 19-year sentence in Russia, is said to have been involved in the exchange for Vadim Krasikov’s release.
President Putin has said in the past that he agreed to release Navalny in exchange for “some people” in the West, but the White House said it was the first it had heard of such a deal.
If President Putin’s demand for the release of Vadim Krasikov in a prisoner exchange continues, it means that the most viable way to release the Americans held in Russia would be to release Vadim Krasikov, which Germany , the United States and cooperation in Russia for it. need
So the final question is, why does President Putin seem so eager to bring alleged murderer Vadim Krasikov back to Russia?
State sanctioned murder
The first clue to Russia’s possible involvement in the assassination of the Chechen leader in Berlin comes from the background of Vadim Krasikov.
Documents obtained by the investigative website BellingCat show that Vadim is wanted in the 2013 murder of Ristvan Malik in Moscow. However, two years later, the Russian authorities revoked his arrest warrant and the identity of ‘Vadim Krasikov’ completely disappeared from official records.
Only after the identity of ‘Vadim Krasikov’ disappeared from official records did ‘Vadim Sokolov’, aged 45, appear in official documents. He got a passport in 2015 and a tax identification number in 2019. That is, after the identity change, Vadim Krasikov had now become Vadim Sokolov.
Later, the trial for the Berlin murder took place and a German court concluded that such a modified identity document could only be issued with the approval of the Russian authorities, so Vadim Krasikov was accused of murdering the Chechen leader in Berlin. supported by the state.
After sentencing Krasikov to life in prison, a German judge said Russian state officials had ordered the murder.
Their victim, Chechen leader Zelimkhan Khangoshuly, was a rebel commander in Chechnya between 2000 and 2004, when Chechnya was fighting a war of independence against Russia.
According to Western observers, the killing of Zelimkhan Khangoshuly may be part of a series of assassinations ordered by Moscow of Chechen exile leaders in Europe and the Middle East. Russia has denied planning the Berlin murders and dismissed the verdict against Krasikov as ‘politically motivated’.
However, in a recent interview, President Putin admitted that negotiations were underway to exchange a ‘patriot’ from Russia who had ‘killed a bandit (Chechen leader)’ in the European capital.
Ulrich Lichte, a member of the German government’s foreign affairs committee, told the BBC that President Putin’s desire for Kraskov’s recovery was ‘a clear admission of guilt and shows the extent to which Russia’s involvement in our country has been successful in do it.’
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Murders in the Emma State
According to German prosecutors, Vadim Krasikov belonged to the most secret unit of the Russian FSB secret service ‘Wempel’.
Mark Galiotti, an expert on Russian security issues, told the BBC: “The unit is apparently responsible for domestic counter-terrorism operations, but in reality it operates as a unit that carries out covert ‘sabotage’ operations abroad. And kill supposed to be. done.
Krasikov personally met Putin at a target shooting range while serving with the ‘Vempel’ unit. While in Russia, Krasikov owned expensive cars such as BMWs and Porsches and traveled to the country regularly for work.
The connection between Krasikov and the Federation of Small Businesses provides one explanation why Vladimir Putin, himself a former intelligence officer, would be willing to release his prisoner in exchange for the American journalist Ivan Grishkovich.
However, Mark Galiotti argues that the case reflects Russia’s ties to Russian agents abroad more than Krasikov’s individual importance.
‘Russia is saying look, if you get caught, we’ll get you back one way or another. It may take a long time, but eventually we will bring you back.’
But ultimately the German government decides whether Krasikov will be allowed to return to Russia.
The BBC contacted three members of the government’s Foreign Affairs Committee, all of whom opposed Krasikov’s release.
Ulrich Lichte, whose Free Democratic Party is part of Chancellor Olaf Schulz’s government, insisted that Germany “must not do this favor to Russia.”
“It’s a form of apology and a political sign that Russia can kill more on our soil,” Lichte told the BBC.
He said that foreign nationals should not be allowed to be arbitrarily arrested in Russia for prisoner exchanges.
Jürgen Hart, from the Christian Democrats, said he saw no political support for the rumors of Krasikov’s prisoner exchange.
Even if there was political will in Berlin to release Krasikov, the legal framework under which this might be possible is very vague.
‘The German president could pardon him or send him into exile to serve the rest of his sentence in Russia.’
An example of this is the Russian ‘Merchant of Death’ Viktor Bot. Who was released and transferred to Russia in exchange for the release of American basketball star Brittany Greiner.
After arriving in Russia, Viktor Bot has now turned to politics and even won a seat in local elections in Russia.
Nicola Baer, ​​a German lawyer who focuses on extradition law, told the BBC that “there is no legal mechanism developed for this particular situation” so any move would be highly controversial and political.
The anti-Russian political activist Bill Broder is now compiling a list of more than 50 Russian prisoners in Western countries that could be used to negotiate the release of activists and journalists held in Russia.
Broder hopes the effort will help secure the release of British-Russian journalist Vladimir Kara-Mirza, who has been sentenced to 25 years in prison for treason for speaking out against the war in Ukraine.
When asked by the BBC if his campaign involved ‘hostage diplomacy’, Browder admitted that although it was not ideal, it was necessary to save lives.
After the death of Alexei Navalny, Browder said, “It is clear that other hostages are in danger of death.”
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