Germany is not interested in exchanging life-sentenced FSB officer Vadim Krasikov following the death of opposition politician Alexei Navalny, for whom he could have been swapped, US and German officials have told the Financial Times.
According to a German official, a possible exchange of Krasikov has become "much less likely" as Berlin believes that Russian President Vladimir Putin is responsible for Navalny's death.
Other sources said that in recent weeks, there have been "discussions" about the release from Russia of Navalny, former US Marine Paul Will, convicted of espionage, and The Wall Street Journal journalist Evan Hershkovich. These individuals were planned to be exchanged for Krasikov, but after Navalny's death, Berlin cooled down on the deal.
"They no longer have anyone in mind for whom they think it would be worthwhile to exchange a state-sponsored killer," the American official said.
On 18 February, the German tabloid Bild reported that Navalny could be exchanged for Krasikov. According to the newspaper, Moscow, Washington and Berlin took part in the negotiations. Putin himself, in an interview with Tucker Carlson on 8 February, hinted at a willingness to exchange journalist Gershkovich, who was in a Russian prison on espionage charges, for Krasikov.
The head of the Anti-Corruption Foundation, Maria Pevchikh, said that Navalny was to be exchanged for Krasikov, and that negotiations were in the final stages on the day of his death. According to her, Putin "did not want to tolerate Navalny at large and got rid of the bargaining chip".
Navalny's death in penal colony No. 3 in the village of Kharp was reported on the afternoon of 16 February by the Yamalo-Nenets Administrative District's Federal Penitentiary Service. The department stated that the politician had become ill during a walk and almost immediately lost consciousness. The doctors were unable to save his life, trying to resuscitate him for more than half an hour.
On 24 February, Navalny's body was handed over to his mother, Lyudmila Navalnaya. Before that, it became known that the medical report on his death stated that the politician had died of natural causes.