Business Day

Navalny was days away from swap: ally

• Late Russian opposition politician ‘was to be exchanged for a Russian security service hitman’

- Filipp Lebedev and Andrew Osborn /Reuters

Russian opposition politician Alexei Navalny was close to being freed in a prisoner swap at the time of his death, an ally said on Monday, repeating an allegation by his family and supporters that President Vladimir Putin had him killed.

Speaking on YouTube, Maria Pevchikh said talks about exchanging Navalny and two unnamed US nationals for Vadim Krasikov, a Russian FSB security service hitman in jail in Germany, were in their final stages at the time of his death.

Navalny, 47, died at an Arctic penal colony on February 16. The Kremlin has denied Russian state involvemen­t in his death. Navalny’s death certificat­e stated that he died of natural causes, according to his supporters.

“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.

“Navalny should have been out in the next few days because we got a decision about his exchange. In early February, Putin was offered to exchange the killer, FSB officer Vadim Krasikov, who’s serving time for a murder in Berlin, for two American citizens and Alexei Navalny.”

Krasikov was jailed for life in Germany after being convicted of killing an exiled ChechenGeo­rgian dissident in Berlin’s Tiergarten park in 2019. Putin signalled in an interview with US journalist Tucker Carlson this month that he wanted to get Krasikov back.

Pevchikh said she had confirmati­on that negotiatio­ns for the swap were in their final stages on the evening of February 15. Navalny, she alleged, had been killed a day later because Putin could not tolerate the thought of him being free.

Pevchikh, who is based outside Russia, did not immediatel­y disclose sources for some of her assertions or present documentar­y evidence. She said that businesspe­rson Roman Abramovich had been involved in some of the talks as a mediator with Putin.

There was no immediate comment from Abramovich,last reported to be living in Turkey.

Pevchikh did not name the two US nationals in contention to be swapped along with Navalny. But the US has said it was trying to arrange the return of Evan Gershkovic­h, a reporter for the Wall Street Journal, and Paul Whelan, a former US marine.

Russia accuses both men of espionage, which they deny.

Putin, who has yet to comment on Navalny’s death, has previously said talks between Russian and US intelligen­ce agencies were going on behind the scenes related to Gershkovic­h, but made no mention of Navalny, whose name he does not usually mention publicly.

Speaking earlier on Monday, the Kremlin called allegation­s that Russian authoritie­s had pressured the mother of Navalny over her son’s funeral absurd, saying Putin had not been involved in decisions over Navalny’s body.

A spokespers­on for Navalny said on Friday that Russian authoritie­s had given his 69year-old mother Lyudmila an ultimatum: agree within three hours to lay him to rest without a public funeral or he would be buried at the prison.

The late opposition politician’s body was handed over to his mother in the Arctic city of Salekhard on Saturday. The arrangemen­ts for his burial have

NAVALNY, SHE ALLEGED, HAD BEEN KILLED A DAY LATER BECAUSE PUTIN COULD NOT TOLERATE THE THOUGHT OF HIM BEING FREE

yet to be announced.

Asked if he would comment on the alleged official pressure put on Navalny’s mother, Kremlin spokespers­on Dmitry Peskov told reporters on Monday: “I can’t comment in any way because the Kremlin has nothing to do with this, so the Kremlin cannot exert pressure. This is another absurd statement by these [Navalny] supporters.

“They are almost all wanted [by the Russian authoritie­s] and almost all of them are abroad. Their statements should be treated accordingl­y.”

Pevchikh said Navalny’s allies had been working since the Russian invasion of Ukraine on a plan to get him out of Russia as part of a prisoner exchange involving “Russian spies in exchange for political prisoners”. She said they had made desperate efforts and tried to find intermedia­ries, even approachin­g the late Henry Kissinger, but said Western government­s had failed to show the necessary political will.

“Officials, American and German, nodded their heads in understand­ing. They recounted how important it was to help Navalny and political prisoners, they shook hands, made promises and did nothing.”

 ?? /Reuters ?? Rememberin­g: A woman holds candles at a portrait of late Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny, in Barcelona, Spain, on Sunday.
/Reuters Rememberin­g: A woman holds candles at a portrait of late Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny, in Barcelona, Spain, on Sunday.

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