Russian rival Navalny died days before being freed in prisoner swap, his team says

first Amendment: 02/26/2024 – 21:53

4 minutes

“He was due to be released in a few days.” Details surrounding the death of Russian rival Alexei Navalny more than a week ago continue to emerge and cast more doubt over the current incident. As her friend tellsOpposition leader Maria Pevchikh, wanted by the Kremlin in a corruption investigation, was to be included in a prisoner exchange including US citizens.

However, he died shortly before the exchange took place. The same journalist assures in a YouTube video that Navalny and two American citizens detained in Russia will be exchanged for Chechens vadim krasikov, who was serving a life sentence in Germany for the 2019 murder of Zelimkhan Khangoshvili, a 40-year-old Georgian citizen of Chechen origin, in Berlin. German judges said Krasikov Acted on orders of Russian authoritiesWho gave him a false identity, passport and resources to carry out the murder.

Pevchikh said in his video that Vladimir Putin “could not tolerate” releasing Navalny.

And decided to “get rid of the currency”. This is how the researcher directly accused the Russian President of assassinating his rival:

“On February 16, 2024, Vladimir Putin assassinated Alexei Navalny. “He murdered her in a gruesome and cowardly manner in a remote Siberian prison, where Navalny was taken away from the rest of the world, separated from his family and loved ones, starved and tortured.”

,“Behavior of a mad gangster”

Something went wrong for the journalist. “I received confirmation on the afternoon of February 15 that talks were ongoing and in the final stages,” he says, but a day later Kremlin announced Navalny’s death,

According to her, two years was the time when her closest group was dedicated to this liberation process, as she explains, Roman Abramovich, who was in charge of informing Vladimir Putin about the exchange,

The journalist asked himself: “Why was Navalny killed now? He made it clear to Putin that the only way to get Krasnyakov was to exchange him for Navalny. ‘Oh, yes?’ Putin thought. I do not accept Navalny in freedom, And if they are willing to exchange Krasikov, we should get rid of the barter thing,” he said.

Pevchikh believes that Putin’s alleged decision to cancel the exchange is “irrational” and “the behavior of a crazy gangster”, as he “knows perfectly well that Alexei Navalny could defeat him (in the elections), that Navalny is the future and he is the past,

“Putin will be remembered in history as a coward, corrupt and thief,” he said.

Exchange of two journalists and a rival for one “patriot”

Although the journalist did not identify the US citizens who were allegedly part of the deal, several people are detained in Russia, including a Wall Street Journal journalist. Ivan Gershkovich and Michigan corporate security executive Paul Whalen arrested on spying charges, was convicted of espionage and served a long prison sentence. He and the United States government dispute the charges against him.

Besides, Putin gives clues about the “patriot” he claims to be In a recent interview with American journalist Tucker Carlson: “A man who, out of patriotic feelings, wiped out a bandit in one of the European capitals during the events in the Caucasus.”

Therefore, the press speculated that it was Vadim Krasikov, a member of the FSB security service, who is currently imprisoned in Germany for the shooting death of Georgian Zelimkhan Khangoshvili in a Berlin park in 2019. Last year, there were unconfirmed reports that Russia was trying to get Krasnikov involved in a sort of prisoner swap for American journalist Ivan Gershkovich.

Navalny’s funeral will be held in the coming days

After more than a week of waiting, his family already has the body, preparations for Navalny’s funeral are a reality. Navalny will be buried this week, his aides have said. Your spokesperson, Kira YarmishLaunched an appeal on the social network X: “We are looking for a place for Alexey’s public farewell At the end of this work week. If you have a convenient location, please contact us.”

Medical certificate signed by Navalny’s mother reassures opposition leader He died of “natural causes” on 16 February in the “Lobo Arctico” prison. of Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug. But the official version is rejected by the rival’s co-religionists, who accuse the Kremlin chief of ordering the killing of his rival, as does the widow Yulia Navalnaya.

read this alsoAccording to Russian opposition team, Kremlin handed over Alexei Navalny’s body to his mother

with EFE and AP