Putin wants Berlin assassin Vadim Krasikov, but prisoner swap is murky
One year has passed since the detention of American journalist Evan Gershkovich during a reporting assignment in Russia. His potential avenue for release now seems tied to Vadim Krasikov, currently imprisoned in Germany for involvement in an execution orchestrated by the Kremlin.
In the summer of 2013, a Moscow restaurant owner fell victim to a fatal shooting in the Russian capital. A hooded assailant, riding a bike, swiftly approached, firing two shots before fleeing the scene.
Fast forward six years, and a similar tragedy unfolded in a bustling Berlin park. Zelimkhan Khangoshvili, an exiled Chechen commander, met his demise under comparable circumstances, shot by a cyclist wielding a silenced Glock 26 in broad daylight.
The perpetrator’s apprehension came after discarding a pistol and wig into the River Spree, near the Reichstag, Germany’s parliamentary building. Although initially identified by a passport as “Vadim Sokolov,” authorities determined this to be a false identity.
The individual in custody turned out to be Vadim Krasikov, a Russian national with ties to the FSB, Russia’s security service, and the primary suspect in the 2013 Moscow murder.
In a recent interview with American TV host Tucker Carlson, Russian President Vladimir Putin seemed to imply that his country sought the release of Krasikov, described as a “patriot,” in exchange for American journalist Evan Gershkovich.
This month marks one year since Gershkovich, a reporter for the Wall Street Journal, was arrested in Russia on espionage charges vehemently denied by him, his employer, and the US government.
However, Gershkovich is not the sole American detained in Russia whose fate intertwines with Krasikov’s. Former US Marine Paul Whelan and US-Russian citizen Alsu Kurmasheva also find themselves imprisoned in Russia on charges widely perceived as politically motivated.
Even the late Russian opposition figure Alexei Navalny, who was serving a 19-year prison sentence in Russia, was said to be part of a swap involving Krasikov before he died, according to his allies.
Following the Russian election, President Putin said he had agreed to release Navalny in return “for some people” held in the West, but the White House said that was the first it had heard of any such deal.
If President Putin’s price stays the same, it means the most viable way of securing the release of the detained Americans would be a complex prisoner swap for Krasikov needing the cooperation of Germany, the US and Russia.
Speaking to the BBC, German politician Roderich Kiesewetter said the deal would force Berlin into “hostage diplomacy”. So why does Putin seem so desperate to get Krasikov back?
