The Russian opposition leader, Alexei Navalny, died in prison days before his exchange for the Chechen Vadim Krasikov, convicted in Germany for the murder of a Georgian citizen, as reported today by the deceased politician’s team.
“Navalni should have been released in a few days, since we reached a decision on his exchange,” said María Pevchij, a close collaborator of the deceased Russian politician, in a video on YouTube.
According to his story, in early February, Russian President Vladimir Putin received the proposal to exchange his number one enemy and two other American citizens for Krasikov, who murdered a Georgian in August 2019 in Berlin.
“I received confirmation that the negotiations were underway and were in their final phase on the afternoon of February 15,” that is, one day before the “murder,” he says in the video.
Krasikov’s name was mentioned on several occasions by the American press in the possible exchange of Russian citizens for Americans such as Paul Whelan, who was sentenced in Russia to 16 years for espionage.
The Kremlin denies pressure on Navalny’s burial
Pending Moscow’s response, the Kremlin today denied pressure in relation to Navalny’s burial, after the delivery of the Russian opponent’s body to the mother .
“The Kremlin has nothing to do with this. Naturally, the Kremlin cannot exert pressure. This is one more absurd statement from his supporters,” presidential spokesman Dmitri Peskov said in his daily telephone press conference.
Peskov recalled that “practically all” of the deceased opponent’s allies “are wanted and captured abroad.”
Regarding the delivery of the body, he denied that Putin, to whom the mother addressed in a letter and in a video on YouTube, made the decision to return the body to the family.
“The head of state does not participate in these matters (…) That is absolutely not our business and it is not our prerogative,” he stressed.
The funeral will take place this week in Moscow
The deceased politician’s team confirmed this Monday that his funeral will take place this week in Moscow.
“We are looking for a space for Alexei’s public farewell at the end of this work week. If you have a convenient location, please contact us,” Navalny’s spokesperson Kira Yarmish wrote in X.
According to the pro-government Telegram channel Shot, Navalny will be buried on February 29, coinciding with President Vladimir Putin’s state of the nation address, at the Borisovo cemetery, southeast of Moscow.
Navalny’s co-religionists denounced that the Russian Instruction Committee (CIR), a body directly dependent on the Kremlin, presented an ultimatum to the family on Friday in order to avoid public demonstrations of rejection against the Kremlin.
Liudmila Naválnaya refused to negotiate with the CIR, arguing that its investigators “do not have the power to decide how and where to bury her son.”
The mother had spoken out from the beginning in favor of Alexei’s supporters being able to say goodbye to him.
According to the opposition, the Kremlin would be in favor of the funeral being private, in the image and similarity of what happened in August with the head of the Wagner Group, Yevgeny Prigozhin , for whose death in an air disaster Putin is also held responsible by Kremlin critics. .
Death from “natural causes”
The medical certificate signed by Navalni’s mother assures that the opponent died of “natural causes”, a version rejected by the opposition’s followers, who accuse the Kremlin of killing their leader, as does the widow, Yulia Naválnaya.
Social networks have been speculating since Saturday about the date, place and format of the funeral, which could attract thousands of Navalny supporters.
The burial could coincide with Putin’s state of the nation address this Thursday before both houses of Parliament.
BY: M Attzaz Khan
