Maria Pevchikh said Alexei Navalny was to be released in exchange for a Russian Federal Security Service assassin imprisoned in Germany.
Russian opposition politician Alexei Navalny was on the verge of being released in a prisoner swap before his sudden death, his ally Maria Pevchikh said.
In a video posted to YouTube on Monday, Pevchiv said the planned exchange would involve swapping Navalny with two unnamed Americans and Germany's Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) assassin Vadim Krasikov. He claimed that he had been
Navalny, an outspoken critic of Russian President Vladimir Putin, died at the age of 47 in a penal colony in the Arctic Circle. He was serving a 19-year sentence for extremism when he reportedly collapsed after taking a walk on the prison grounds.
“Mr. Alexei Navalny could be sitting in this seat today today. It's not a metaphor, it could have happened and it should have happened,” Pevchikh said.
“A decision had been taken to replace Mr. Navalny and he was supposed to leave within a few days.” An offer was made to exchange two American citizens for Alexei Navalny.
A German spokesperson said at a press conference on Monday that the government was aware of reports of the alleged swap but could not comment on them.
Krasikov, a Russian hitman who participated in the alleged transactions, was sentenced to life in prison in Germany after being convicted of killing an exiled Chechen Georgian dissident in Berlin's Tiergarten Park in 2019. However, German authorities claim that the assassination was ordered by Russian intelligence.
In an interview with American journalist Tucker Carlson in early February, Putin expressed his desire to take Krasikov back.
Pevchiv did not identify the Americans, but the U.S. government had previously tried to repatriate Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovic and former Marine Paul Whelan to the United States. He said there was.
Pevchiv claimed that the potential agreement entered its final stages on the night of February 15th. Mr Putin said he was killed the next day because he could not stand the idea of him being freed.
World leaders, including the United States, blamed Putin for Navalny's death and imposed sanctions in response.
However, the Kremlin denied claims that Moscow had anything to do with his sudden death and condemned those who made the claims without providing evidence.
