Supporters of Alexei Navalny say Putin had the Russian opposition leader killed to prevent him from being exchanged for two American nationals and Vadim Krasikov, an FSB killer who is serving a life sentence in Germany for the assassination of a Chechen separatist in Berlin.
• Read also: Alexei Navalny was to be exchanged before his death
Navalny’s widow promised that his team would soon tell the world “why exactly Putin killed Alexei.” I can not wait to know. For the moment, the matter seems strange to me. Putin could have him killed without it being linked to a prisoner exchange.
We know that there were “discussions” about an exchange with Navalny, but at what level and with whom? Would Putin have agreed to let Navalny leave Russia? I doubt. Besides, did Putin know?
Who negotiates what with whom?
What is certain is that negotiations were underway on a possible exchange of prisoners between Russia and the West. German newspapers Bild And Zeit reported that Berlin discussed exchanging Navalny for Krasikov. The German government, for its part, refused to comment on Monday.
Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich, who some believed to be involved in the negotiations, also refused to say whether he had offered himself as an intermediary.
- Listen to the Lester-Durocher meeting with Journal de Montréal blogger Normand Lester via QUB :
Putin was open to exchanging Russian-imprisoned American journalist Evan Gershkovich for Krasikov. Moscow had also offered to exchange him for the American of Canadian origin Paul Whelan, sentenced to 16 years in prison for espionage. We never talked about Navalny.
Navalny: natural death or not
The head of Ukrainian military intelligence (HUR), Kyrylo Budanov, has just created quite a surprise by declaring that Navalny died of a “blood clot”, according to the newspaper Kyiv Post. “Unfortunately, from natural causes,” he added. The Russians also attribute his death to “natural causes” following his loss of consciousness during a walk.
His body was finally returned to his mother more than a week after his death in one of Russia’s harshest prisons. He was serving a 19-year prison sentence for his opposition activities.
For a week, the Russian authorities had refused to hand over his body to his mother. The Kremlin is now trying to prevent a public funeral for fear it would spark a popular movement in support of Navalny and opposition to Putin.
Putin, who has never mentioned Navalny’s name in public, has not commented on the death of his most vocal critic who previously survived an assassination attempt by poisoning.
- Listen to the Lester-Durocher meeting with Journal de Montréal blogger Normand Lester via QUB :
Exciting Putin’s paranoia
It is very possible that he was assassinated on Putin’s orders, which would explain the authorities’ initial refusal to return his body to his mother, even refusing to allow her to see him for several days. Time to hide the crime. She accused them of wanting to “cover their tracks”.
The other plausible explanation would be that Putin’s enemies in Russia and abroad want, by evoking secret discussions about a Navalny exchange, to excite his paranoia. Make him think that members of the Russian political-military leadership have initiated negotiations on this subject behind his back.
Enough to sow discord in the Kremlin and cause “windows to fall” from people suspected of having participated in the plot.