‘Insane Mafioso’ Putin ‘killed’ Navalny to thwart his release in planned prisoner swap, ally claims
Russian President Vladimir Putin had Alexei Navalny killed just days before he was set to be released as part of a prisoner exchange that would have also included two jailed US citizens, the late opposition leader’s ally claimed.
Navalny, 47, collapsed and died at the remote “Polar Wolf” penal colony on Feb. 16 — a day after his close associate Maria Pevchikh said she received a confirmation that negotiations for the dissident’s release were in their final stages.
“Alexei Navalny could be sitting in this seat right now, right today. That’s not a figure of speech, it could and should have happened,” said Pevchikh in a YouTube video released Monday. “Navalny should have been out in the next few days because we got a decision about his exchange.”
In early February, according to Navalny’s associate, Putin received an offer to swap former FSB officer-turned-hit man Vadim Krasikov, who is serving time for a murder in Berlin, for Navalny and two US nationals detained in Russia.
Pevchikh did not name the Americans, but the Biden administration has been trying to secure the release of Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich and former US Marine Paul Whelan.
Krasikov was sentenced to a life in prison in Germany after being convicted of killing of Zelimkhan “Tornike” Khangoshvili, an exiled Chechen-Georgian dissident, in 2019.
In his recent interview with Tucker Carlson in Moscow, Putin hinted that he wanted Krasikov, whom he considers a patriot, to be returned to Russia.
And the warmongering leader told the former Fox News host during their sit-down that he was open to prisoner swaps with the US.
Billionaire oligarch Roman Abramovich had been the one to float the idea to Putin of exchanging Navalny for Krasikov, according to Pevchikh.
But the Russian president could not tolerate the thought of Navalny being free, and so instead of going through with his exchange, Putin “killed him cowardly and treacherously,” Pevchikh said.
Pevchikh argued that Putin had decided to eliminate his foe as a “bargaining chip” in the negotiations for Krasikov, to potentially be replaced by someone else in the future.
“It is absolutely illogical, absolutely irrational,” she said. “It’s the behavior of an insane Mafioso. But the point is that Putin has gone mad with hatred for Navalny.”
A Russian source with knowledge of the discussions told Reuters separately that the prisoner exchange had been meant to take place in the middle of February and that both Navalny and his wife, Yulia, had agreed to it.
The source also confirmed Abramovich had been involved in the talks.
“Initially, the plan envisaged an exchange only involving Gershkovich, and Abramovich had discussed it with Putin. The only person Putin was ready to swap him for was Krasikov. But the Germans were categorically against it, because it was an American problem. When Navalny appeared within this plan, the Germans finally agreed,” the source said.
The plans for the exchange were confirmed when German Chancellor Olaf Scholz visited the US for talks with President Biden on Feb. 9, according to the source.
German officials have not commented on the claims related to Krasikov.
The Kremlin has angrily denied any involvement in Navalny’s death, after the activist’s widow publicly accused Putin’s regime of poisoning her husband with the nerve agent Novichok.
Navalny’s death certificate that was handed to his mother, Lyudmila Navalnaya, last week stated that he died of “natural causes.”
With Post wires
