Navalny’s death: His team says prisoner exchange was ‘in its final stages’ before his death

What if the question of the timing of Alexei Navalny’s death were resolved? At least, that’s what the Russian opposition leader’s team thinks this Monday, according to which an agreement to exchange an opponent with the Russian authorities “was under development and in its final stages” before his death in prison a little over a week ago.

According to Maria Pevchikh, a fellow opponent, Alexei Navalny was to be exchanged, along with “two American citizens” detained by Moscow, for Vadim Krasikov, a Russian imprisoned in Germany. “I have received confirmation that negotiations are ongoing and are in their final stages,” she added.

According to Maria Pevchikh, her team “worked” for two years to “get” Alexei Navalny out of prison “at any cost” based on the exchange of “Russian spies for political prisoners” that took place in Russia. Washington and Berlin were aware, she assured, without specifying the exact role of the two offices in the discussions. After months of lack of progress, the agreement “returned to the table in December” 2023, Maria Pevchikh said in a video.

Exchange for a Russian killer

According to her, this prisoner exchange should include Vadim Krasikov, sentenced to life imprisonment for the 2019 murder of a former Chechen separatist in a Berlin park. According to German justice, this murder was ordered directly by the Russian authorities, who have always denied any involvement. When asked by journalists, a representative of the German government refused to comment on the statements of Navalny’s team.

In particular, Russia is detaining several Americans, including Wall Street Journal journalist Evan Gershkowitz, who has been in prison since March 2023 for “espionage” (a charge that the individual, his employer and his family deny), and former Marine Paul Whelan. The circumstances surrounding the death of Alexei Navalny, which shocked people around the world, remain unclear. According to the Russian Penitentiary Service, he died from a sudden illness “after a walk.”

Alexei Navalny’s body was finally handed over to his mother this Saturday, Russian opponent spokeswoman Kira Yarmich said, adding that she did not know under what conditions the funeral would be allowed. She then added that she did not know “whether the authorities will not allow (the funeral) to be held as the family wishes and as Alexey deserves,” while in the morning Yulia Navalnaya, who vowed to continue the fight over the border with her husband, blamed Russian President Vladimir Putin that he did not allow the body to be handed over to the family.