Russian dissident Alexei Navalny was killed as a proposed prisoner swap between Russia and Germany was in its final stages, a close ally of the deceased politician said Monday.
Maria Pevchikh, investigative journalist and chairwoman of Navalny’s Anti-Corruption Foundation, said she received confirmation that the months-long negotiations for the release of Navalny in exchange for a Russian FSB agent were nearing completion on February 15, the evening before his death was reported.
“Navalny was supposed to be free in the coming days because we had achieved a decision on his exchange,” she said in a video, noting that such a deal was approved last spring but had been repeatedly delayed since then.
The deal would have swapped Vadim Krasikov, an FSB agent jailed in Germany for murdering a former Chechen commander in 2019, for Navalny and “two American citizens,” Pevchikh said. Without providing the names of the American prisoners, she was likely referring to Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich and former U.S. marine Paul Whelan, who are both imprisoned in Russia on espionage charges.
Navalny died on February 16 while imprisoned in a Siberian penal colony, where he was detained for opposing Putin’s regime. The 47-year-old was said to have lost consciousness after a walk, and passed away shortly thereafter. His death occurred a month ahead of the Russian presidential election, which will take place over the weekend of March 15-17.
Pevchikh added that she believed Russian president Vladimir Putin changed his mind about the swap to get rid of his political opponent as the “bargaining chip.”
“Putin was clearly told that the only way to get Krasikov is to exchange him for Navalny,” she said. “‘Hold on,’ thought Putin. ‘I can’t tolerate Navalny being free. And since they are willing to exchange Krasikov on principle then I just need to get rid of the bargaining chip [Navalny]. Then offer someone else when the time comes.'”
“It’s absolutely illogical, irrational, it’s the behavior of a mad mafioso. But the point is that Putin has gone mad with hatred for Navalny,” Pevchikh continued.
On Saturday, Russian authorities handed over Navalny’s body to his mother for a dignified burial that a spokeswoman said would happen by the end of the work week. In the week since Navalny’s death, his mother had been pleading with Putin to release his body.
Yulia Navalnaya, the Russian opposition leader’s widow, similarly called for the release of her late husband’s body, but took it one step further by accusing Putin of withholding the body in order to conceal evidence of poisoning. In a video released last Monday, she claimed the Russian government poisoned Navalny with Novichok — a powerful nerve agent that’s been used by the Putin regime to murder other dissidents. She also vowed to continue Navalny’s work in fighting for her country.