CNN —Negotiations to release Russia’s opposition leader Alexey Navalny in a prisoner swap had reached their “final stage” just before his sudden death, a top aide to Navalny has said.
“Navalny was supposed to be free in the coming days because we had achieved a decision on his exchange,” Pevchik said.
Putin had recently signaled his interest in a prisoner exchange with the West involving Krasikov and Gershkovich.
Pevchik claimed that Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich had served as “an informal negotiator” and delivered the prisoner swap proposal to Putin.
Navalny’s body was returned to his mother on Saturday, more than a week after his death.
Persons:
Alexey Navalny, ”, Navalny, Vadim Krasikov, Maria Pevchik, ” Pevchik, “, ” Navalny, CNN’s Matthew Chance, Dmitri Peskov, Ebrahim Noroozi, Matthew Miller, Evan Gershkovich, Paul Whelan, Putin, Tucker Carlson “, Navalny “, Lyudmila Navalnaya, Pevchik, nodded understandingly, Henry Kissinger, Kissinger, Abramovich, Navalnaya, Alexey, ” Peskov, ” Kira Yarmysh, Alexey ”
Organizations:
CNN, YouTube, CNN’s, State Department, Wall Street, Fox News, Kremlin, “
Locations:
Russian, Germany, Chechen, Berlin, Russia, Krasikov, Siberia, Ukraine, “