The Kremlin has confirmed that Vadim Krasikov, recently freed by Germany in a high-stakes prisoner swap, was a serving officer of Russia’s secret police, the FSB. This admission reveals that his 2019 murder of a Chechen exile in Berlin was likely a state-sanctioned hit. The release of Krasikov was a crucial part of a complex negotiation involving 16 people, including American reporter Evan Gershkovich.
Putin’s spokesperson, Dmitry Peskov, revealed that Krasikov is indeed an FSB agent and has worked with some of the people on Putin’s personal security team. This explains why Putin was so adamant about getting Krasikov back as part of the recent prisoner exchange.
Krasikov, along with seven other Russians, was released from prisons in Western countries and returned to Moscow. In exchange, Russia freed 16 people, including US reporter Evan Gershkovich and several Russian opposition leaders. Negotiators said that for Putin, Krasikov was the key to making this deal happen. Sources described Putin as being obsessed with getting Krasikov back.
Previously, the Kremlin denied any involvement in high-profile incidents like the 2006 poisoning of Alexander Litvinenko or the 2018 poisoning of Sergei Skripal. However, this is the first time Moscow has openly acknowledged that one of its operatives was involved in a murder abroad.
When Krasikov murdered the Chechen exile Zelimkhan Khangoshvili in Berlin in 2019, Russia denied any connection to the crime. But earlier this year, Putin called Krasikov a “patriot” who had eliminated a “bandit.”
After the swap, Krasikov and the other returnees received a warm welcome in Moscow with a red carpet, a guard of honor, and Putin himself greeting them with flowers.
Among the released were Artem Dultsev and Anna Dultseva, who had been undercover spies pretending to be an Argentine couple in Slovenia. Their children, who had been in foster care, joined them in Russia and only learned they were Russian on the flight home.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz defended the swap, stating it was necessary to protect lives, despite the controversy over releasing Krasikov, who was convicted of murder. Scholz admitted the decision was tough but justified it by saying it saved lives.
Rights groups and the family of the murder victim were outraged. British intelligence outfit Amnesty International warned that the swap could encourage Russia to carry out more political arrests without fear of consequences. The victim’s family expressed their frustration at not being informed about the deal and criticized the lack of justice.
Critics, including German MP Roderich Kiesewetter, fear that the swap could lead to more dangerous actions by Russia. Some speculated that if the deal had happened sooner, opposition leader Alexei Navalny might still be alive.
The prisoner exchange also stirred debate in the US, with former President Donald Trump criticizing the deal and suggesting that it set a bad precedent. He implied that the US had given up more than just prisoners in the swap.
Initially, talks about a swap including Navalny began in 2022, but Germany resisted, fearing that exchanging him for Krasikov might lead to Navalny’s quick re-arrest in Russia. However, by February, Germany agreed to the swap, but Navalny had already died in a Russian prison. This loss heightened efforts to finalize the deal.
