Kremlin critic Volkov: This was the "Nawalny exchange"
Following Alexei Navalny's death, his allies reported a deal between Russia and the West that should have secured his release. Six months later, a prisoner exchange indeed took place. The Navalny team sees this as confirmation of their claims.
In a large-scale prisoner exchange between Russia and the West, Russian opposition politician Leonid Volkov stated that it was "exactly the exchange that we had hoped would lead to Alexei Navalny's release in February of this year." He wrote this on X, saying, "Now we can say that."
However, Putin decided he did not want to give up Navalny, "and killed him just a few days before the exchange could take place," Volkov wrote. The "Navalny exchange" finally happened, he added.
Team: Agreement on Navalny's release was near
A few days after Alexei Navalny's death in a Russian prison on February 16, his team reported negotiations with the US and Germany over a planned prisoner exchange. "Navalny was supposed to be released in the next few days because we had reached a decision on his exchange," political director of the Navalny Fund for Fighting Corruption, Maria Pevchikh, said in a video published on YouTube at the end of February.
In early February, an offer was made to hand over Vadim Krasikov, convicted in Germany as the "Tiergarten murderer" in December 2021, to Russia in exchange for Navalny and two US citizens. Pevchikh did not name the US citizens. The offer was reportedly relayed to the Kremlin through Russian billionaire and former Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich.
Pevchikh said an agreement was reached just before Navalny's death. The Navalny team accused Putin of personally ordering his killing to prevent his release.
In today's large-scale prisoner exchange, 26 people were released, including 16 Western citizens and Russian opposition figures. "Today, we are happy about the release of Putin's political prisoners who have suffered in Putin's Gulag," Volkov wrote on Telegram. "But it will still be a joy with tears in our eyes."
The European Parliament's President expressed concern over Alexei Navalny's death and the subsequent prisoner exchange, calling for a thorough investigation into Navalny's death and the circumstances surrounding the deal.
Given the alleged deal between Russia and the West for Navalny's release, many in the European Parliament view the President of the European Parliament as having a crucial role in advocating for human rights and democratic values in Russia.
