How Russia demanded the release of a cold-blooded KGB assassin for Whelan AND Griner
The jailed KGB assassin responsible for keeping Paul Whelan behind bars in Russia: Kremlin said it would only release Brittney Griner AND the Marine vet if US helped free hitman who slaughtered Chechen separatist
New details are emerging about the high-stakes negotiations that brought the release of American basketball star Brittney Griner but left retired U.S. Marine Corps veteran Paul Whelan languishing in prison – including Russia’s demand to liberate an assassin serving a life sentence for carrying out a brazen daylight slaying in Berlin.
As the U.S. tried to secure the freedom of both Americans and even dangled convicted ‘Merchant of Death’ arms trafficker Viktor Bout, Moscow added its own demand: Vadim Krasikov.
The former Federal Security Service (FSB) colonel, who was convicted of gunning down a Georgia-born Chechen separatist in broad daylight in a central Berlin park in June 2019, was the second prisoner the Russians wanted in exchange for both U.S. citizens, the New York Times reported.
It was an audacious request from the Kremlin given the stark nature of the crime.
Krasikov was convicted of riding up to his victim on a bicycle and executing him in Berlin’s Kleine Tiergarten park in December 2021. A German court called it a ‘state-contracted killing.’
By contrast, Griner was sentenced for possessing a small amount of cannabis oil inside vape cartridges at a Moscow airport, and the government and Whelan deny the spying charges brought against him.
U.S. negotiators didn’t reject the idea outright, and tried of offer a three-way trade, according to the Times.
But German authorities weren’t interested in freeing someone who had blatantly violated the law and ignored its sovereignty.
The revelation came on a day when Russian President Vladimir Putin expressed openness to further negotiations, after a deal that some Republicans have already attacked as unfavorable.
‘We aren’t refusing to continue this work in the future,’ Putin said after Bout arrived home to a hero’s welcome in Moscow and Griner touched down in San Antonio, Texas, in the early hours of Friday morning.
Putin said, ‘everything is on the table’ and pointed to ‘compromises’ found in the past – while the White House faces criticism for leaving U.S. military veteran Paul Whelan languishing in a Russian jail while the Olympic medalist was brought home.
Brittney Griner exits plane after landing in Texas from Russia
KJP says president will ‘never stop working’ to secure Paul Whelan
A senior White House official told CNN on Friday they believe Moscow will keep negotiating a deal over Whelan because there are ‘things they want in this world.’
With some signs that the store is open on future negotiations, it emerged Friday that the lawyer representing Alexander Vinik, who was extradited from Greece and accused of running an illicit cryptocurrency money laundering operation, pushed for his client to be part of talks.
Federal prosecutors accuse Vinik of using the BTC-e crypto exchange to launder $4 billion worth of criminal proceeds.
The indictment alleges that cybercriminals worldwide took part in laundering proceeds from ransomware scams, hacking, identity theft, corrupt public officials, and narcotics distribution rings, and fraud.
The exchange got more than $4 billion in bitcoin. He was accused in the August indictment of operating an unlicensed money services business, conspiracy to commit money laundering, plus 17 counts of money laundering and two counts of engaging in unlawful monetary transactions.
The U.S. is known to want the release of Pennsylvania man Marc Fogel. He is serving a 14-year prison sentence after getting caught at the Moscow airport with less than one ounce of medical marijuana used for a spine condition.
The State Department sought his release on humanitarian grounds and faces ongoing pressure from lawmakers to formally classify him as being ‘wrongfully detained.’
The White House avoided comment on his case when asked on Thursday during the daily press conference.
Pressed to confirm details of Russia’s push for the release of the convicted assassin Krasikov, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre responded: ‘I’m just not going to get into specifics on any of the negotiations.’
Asked if the U.S. would consider working with a third country to try to meet one of Moscow’s demands, she said: ‘I get your question and I understand. I just cannot get into what we will or will not do … We want to make sure that we get them home safely. Negotiating from here … certainly would not be prudent.’
