Commenting on Navalny’s death for first time, Putin says he supported prisoner swap for his foe

Russian President Vladimir Putin stated early Monday that he supported an concept to unlock overdue opposition chief Alexei Navalny in a prisoner trade simply days earlier than the person who was once his largest foe died.

In his first feedback to deal with Navalny’s death, Putin stated of the dissident’s loss of life: “It happens. There is nothing you can do about it. It’s life.”

The remarks have been abnormal in that he time and again referenced Navalny through his identify for the first time in years — and that they got here at a late-night news convention as effects poured in from a presidential election this is positive to increase his rule.

Early returns confirmed him main with over 87% of the votes in a race with out a pageant, after years of ruthlessly suppressing the opposition and crippling unbiased media.

Navalny’s allies closing month additionally stated that talks with Russian and Western officers a couple of prisoner swap involving Navalny were underway. The baby-kisser’s longtime affiliate Maria Pevchikh stated the talks have been of their ultimate phases simply days earlier than the Kremlin critic’s surprising and unexplained death in an Arctic penal colony.

She accused Putin of “getting rid of” Navalny so as to not trade him, however presented no proof to again her claims, and so they may just now not be independently showed.

Putin stated Monday, additionally with out providing any proof, that a number of days earlier than Navalny’s death, “certain colleagues, not from the (presidential) administration” advised him about “an idea to exchange Navalny for certain people held in penitentiary facilities in western countries.” He said he supported the idea.

“Believe it or not, but the person talking to me didn’t even finish their sentence when I said: ‘I agree,'” Putin said in response to a question from a journalist about Navalny’s death. He added that his one condition was that Navalny wouldn’t return to Russia.

“But unfortunately, whatever happened, happened,” Putin stated.

Navalny, 47, Russia’s best-known opposition politician, died closing month whilst serving a 19-year sentence on extremism fees that he rejected as politically motivated. His allies, members of the family and Western officers blamed the death on the Kremlin, accusations it has rejected.

The baby-kisser’s mates stated officers indexed “natural causes” on forms Navalny’s mom was once proven when she was once looking to retrieve his frame.

Navalny had been jailed since January 2021, when he returned to Moscow of his personal accord after recovering in Germany from nerve agent poisoning he blamed on the Kremlin. He was once right away arrested. The Kremlin has vehemently denied it was once at the back of the poisoning.

Pevchikh claimed that there was once a plan to swap Navalny and two U.S. voters held in Russia for Vadim Krasikov. He was once serving a existence sentence in Germany for the 2019 killing in Berlin of Zelimkhan “Tornike” Khangoshvili, a 40-year-old Georgian citizen of Chechen descent. German judges stated Krasikov acted on the orders of Russian government.

She didn’t establish the U.S. voters that have been supposedly a part of the deal. There are a number of in custody in Russia, together with Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, arrested on espionage fees, and Paul Whelan, a company safety govt from Michigan, convicted of espionage and serving a protracted jail sentence. They and the U.S. executive dispute the costs towards them.

German officers have refused to remark when requested if there have been any effort through Russia to swap Krasikov.

Putin had previous stated that the Kremlin was once open to negotiations on Gershkovich. He pointed to a person imprisoned in a “U.S.-allied country” for “liquidating a bandit” who had allegedly killed Russian infantrymen all through separatist preventing in Chechnya. Putin didn’t point out names however perceived to seek advice from Krasikov.