Russia keeps pushing the US to swap Russian national Vadim Krasikov, convicted in Germany for killing a former Georgian security operative Zelimkhan Khangoshvili upon orders of the Russian state.
This time, Russia is said to have been trying to exchange Krasikov for Paul Whealan, a US citizen held in Russia.
Moscow had earlier demanded to swap Krasikov for Brittney Greiner, an American female basketball player imprisoned in Russia.
Greiner was eventually swapped for convicted international arms dealer Viktor Bout sentenced to 25 years in US jail.
John Kirby, the US National Security Council spokesperson said the US did not consider this proposal seriously, since Krasikov is not in American custody.
Behind the door, negotiations are however said to be continuing.
Zelimkhan Khangoshvili was a Georgian national from Pankisi and a security operative. A veteran of the second Chechen war, he later started working for Georgia’s security interests and is said to have distinguished himself in the context of both: countering Russian subversive activities, as well as Islamic extremism.
Khangoshvili left Georgia in 2015 after being wounded in an assassination attempt in downtown Tbilisi. Khangoshvili had later said, the Georgian Dream authorities refused to investigate the shooting – which he said was organized by Russia – took away a gun possession license and told him to leave Georgia.
During the court proceedings, the German Federal Prosecution said Khangoshvili had left Georgia because of its “pro-Russian government.”
The Georgian Government has maintained a complete silence on the murder of its own citizen and a former security officer that rocked major European capital.
Georgian opposition members have said this in itself was indicative of Georgia’s drift towards Moscow.
“Both during the investigation and later we had complete silence from this shameful regime. And against the background of the disgraceful position towards Georgian fighters in Ukraine, we think it is important to remind the Georgian public that not only do they have such treasonous position towards our fighters in Ukraine, but also to Georgia’s own security officers,” European Georgia Chair Giga Bokeria said.
In its own investigation, Bellingcat found that Krasikov was a member of the FSB’s elite Vympel unit.
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