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

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

In his first feedback to handle Navalny’s dying, Putin stated of the dissident’s demise: “It occurs. There’s nothing you are able to do about it. It’s life.”

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The remarks had been uncommon in that he repeatedly referenced Navalny by his identify for the primary time in years — and that they got here at a late-night information convention as outcomes poured in from a presidential election that’s sure to increase his rule.

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Early returns confirmed him main with over 87% of the votes in a race with no competitors, after years of ruthlessly suppressing the opposition and crippling impartial media.

Navalny’s allies final month additionally stated that talks with Russian and Western officers a few prisoner swap involving Navalny had been underway. The politician’s longtime affiliate Maria Pevchikh stated the talks had been of their last levels simply days earlier than the Kremlin critic’s sudden and unexplained dying in an Arctic penal colony.

She accused Putin of “eliminating” Navalny so as to not trade him, however provided no proof to again her claims, and so they couldn’t be independently confirmed.

Putin stated Monday, additionally with out providing any proof, that a number of days earlier than Navalny’s dying, “sure colleagues, not from the (presidential) administration” informed him about “an concept to trade Navalny for sure individuals held in penitentiary services in western nations.” He stated he supported the concept.

“Consider it or not, however the particular person speaking to me didn’t even end their sentence after I stated: ‘I agree,”‘ Putin stated in response to a query from a journalist about Navalny’s dying. He added that his one situation was that Navalny wouldn’t return to Russia.

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“However sadly, no matter occurred, occurred,” Putin stated.

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

The politician’s associates stated officers listed “pure causes” on paperwork Navalny’s mom was proven when she was making an attempt to retrieve his physique.

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

Pevchikh claimed that there was a plan to swap Navalny and two U.S. residents held in Russia for Vadim Krasikov. He was serving a life 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 authorities.

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She didn’t establish the U.S. residents that had been supposedly a part of the deal. There are a number of in custody in Russia, together with Wall Road Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, arrested on espionage prices, and Paul Whelan, a company safety government from Michigan, convicted of espionage and serving a protracted jail sentence. They and the U.S. authorities dispute the fees in opposition to them.

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

Putin had earlier stated that the Kremlin was open to negotiations on Gershkovich. He pointed to a person imprisoned in a “U.S.-allied nation” for “liquidating a bandit” who had allegedly killed Russian troopers throughout separatist preventing in Chechnya. Putin didn’t point out names however appeared to confer with Krasikov.

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