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Murderer freed in prisoner swap is FSB agent, Kremlin confirms

by Elsa Court and The Kyiv Independent news desk August 2, 2024 3:21 PM 2 min read

In this pool photograph distributed by Russian state agency Sputnik, Russia's President Vladimir Putin welcomes Vadim Krasikov as Russian citizens released in a major prisoners swap with the West arrive at Moscow's Vnukovo airport on August 1, 2024. (Mikhail Voskresenskiy/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)

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Convicted murderer Vadim Krasikov, who was freed from German prison in a historic prisoner exchange on Aug. 1, is a Federal Security Service (FSB) agent, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said on Aug. 2.

A German court sentenced Krasikov to life imprisonment in 2021 for the murder of Zelimkhan "Tornike" Khangoshvili in 2019.

A Georgian citizen of Chechen descent, Khangoshvili fought against Russian forces in Chechnya in the early 2000s and claimed asylum in Germany in 2016.

The German court said that Krasikov had acted under orders from the Kremlin and had been issued a fake passport to travel to Berlin to kill Khangoshvili. The Kremlin denied the claims at the time.

"Krasikov is an employee of the FSB," Peskov confirmed on Aug. 2.

WTF is wrong with Russia?

The historic Aug. 1 prisoner swap saw Russia and several Western countries exchange a total of 24 detainees, the largest such move in almost 15 years.

Those freed by Russia include activists, journalists, and opposition leaders, most notably the Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, and Russian-born Pulitzer Prize winner Vladimir Kara-Murza.

According to Peskov, Krasikov served in the Alpha Group, a shady arm of Russia's security service that is thought to perform covert operations within Russia and internationally.

Krasikov was greeted by Russian President Vladimir Putin upon arrival in Russia.

"When he served in Alpha, he served together with several members of the presidential security service. Naturally, they greeted each other yesterday when they saw each other," Peskov added.

Authors: Elsa Court, The Kyiv Independent news desk

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