President Vladimir Putin personally met FSB assassin Krasikov at the airplane ramp at Vnukovo-2 together with other freed Russians. He was the first to hug him with the words “Hello!”.
In the largest exchange since the Cold War, Russia brought home a number of its spies and rogues. However, Krasikov is not a spy or a crook, unlike the other participants in the exchange on the Western side. Krasikov is a hitman in the service of the FSB, sentenced in Germany to life imprisonment for murder. On August 23, 2019, he shot and killed former Chechen field commander Zelimkhan Khangoshvili in broad daylight in central Berlin. Krasikov killed him in Tiergarten Park, a short walk from the parliament building and the chancellor’s office, with two shots to the head.
German Foreign Minister Annalena Berbock was shocked by the precedent of releasing a professional assassin sent by Putin to kill an exile in a country that prides itself on giving refugees asylum. On Germany’s side, Justice Minister Marco Buschmann played a key role in the exchange process and a statement “took responsibility for such a bitter concession” that Germany had to make.
“Krasikov is an employee in the FSB, he served in Alfa”- Russian presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov explained Putin’s actions. – And the president is a tribute to those who serve their country.” The Wall Street Journal wrote, citing Western intelligence agencies, that Krasikov could have been Putin’s bodyguard – the Russian president put too much emphasis on his personality when discussing the exchange. And it looks like the WSJ is right. Russia first pressed Germany to make this particular exchange happen. Then Putin spoke of Krasikov as “a patriot who eliminated a bandit in Europe.” And now he’s going to put Krasikov up for an award.
The words of war criminal Putin are worthless. He will continue to lie to protect his official criminals or simply refuse them. And the European Union and especially Germany should finally realize that every Russian on its territory is, if not an FSB assassin, then probably a spy and a malefactor. And take appropriate actions.
