Russian president said he was ready to exchange the opposition politician for some Russians held by the West
Russian opposition figure Alexey Navalny, who died in Russian prison, was to be swapped for some Russian prisoners held in the West, President Vladimir Putin has revealed.
Speaking to supporters on Sunday, Putin said that senior Russian officials had floated the idea of a prisoner swap with the West a few days before Navalny’s death. The latter died in February at the Polar Wolf colony inside the Arctic Circle, where he was serving a lengthy sentence on a number of charges, including those stemming from a fraud case.
The person who talked to me did not even finish the phrase. I said ‘I agree.’ But what happened happened.
The president did not mention which or how many jailed Russian citizens were to be exchanged. He noted that the only condition for the swap would have been that Navalny would not return to the country and stay in the West.
The Anti-Corruption Foundation (FBK), an NGO formerly headed by Navalny, has previously claimed that the opposition figure was to be swapped for Vadim Krasikov, a Russian national convicted of murder in Germany in late 2021, and that talks on this were “at the final stage.” Maria Pevchikh, the current head of FBK, has also claimed that Navalny was killed to prevent the swap. Moscow has rejected all accusations on the matter, calling for patience until the end of the investigation.
Putin’s comments come as he is widely expected to win a landslide victory in the presidential election, securing his fifth term in office. According to the Central Election Commission, with an overall turnout of more than 74% and more than 82% of the ballots counted so far, the incumbent is leading the race with an estimated 87% share of the votes.
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