WARSAW, Poland: Allies of the late Russian opposition politician Alexei Navalny announced on Monday that a deal was close to be reached for his release as part of a prisoner swap following his death in prison.
The 47-year-old Kremlin critic died in an Arctic prison on February 16 after spending more than three years behind bars, sparking outrage and condemnation from Western leaders and supporters.
According to ally Maria Pevchikh, Russian President Vladimir Putin “was offered to exchange FSB officer and killer Vadim Krasikov, who is serving time for murder in Berlin, for two American citizens and Alexei Navalny.”
“I have received confirmation that negotiations were underway and were at the final stage” after two years of talks between Washington, Moscow and Berlin, she added.
“Navalny was supposed to be released in the coming days,” she said further.
Krasikov is serving a life sentence in Germany for the 2019 killing of former separatist commander Zelimkhan Khangushvili in a Berlin Park, which German authorities say was ordered by Russian intelligence.
A spokesman for the German government and the German foreign minister declined to comment when asked about the claim at a press conference.
State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said the United States had offered a swap in December that would have freed two Americans, former Marine Paul Whelan and Wall Street Journal reporter Ivan Gershkovich.
“All I will say about this matter is that we have long called for the release of Alexei Navalny,” Miller told media here.
The US government has accused the Russian government of arresting American citizens on baseless charges as a means of freeing Russians convicted abroad.
The prisoner exchange story comes amid questions about the circumstances of Navalny’s death, which Western countries blame on the Kremlin.
German Chancellor Olaf Schultz said Monday that the “Russian regime” was responsible.
Group of 7 leaders called on Russia on Saturday to “fully explain” how the Kremlin critic’s worsening captivity led to his death.
Navalny’s body was finally returned to his mother Lyudmila Navalnaya on Saturday, more than a week after he died in a remote Arctic prison.
His team has previously said the Kremlin is trying to prevent a public funeral, which could signal support for Navalny’s movement and opposition to President Vladimir Putin.
President Putin, who never mentioned Navalny’s name in public, has not commented on the death of his staunch critic.
