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President Vladimir V. Putin congratulated jailed opposition chief Alexei A. He described Navalny's demise as an “unlucky incident” and claimed he was ready to launch Russian prisoners held within the West in alternate for them.
At a information convention after Russia's presidential election, Mr Putin mentioned that “some folks” had instructed him earlier than Mr Navalny's demise “that there was an concept to alternate Mr Navalny for among the folks held in correctional amenities in Western nations.” “
“I mentioned, ‘I agree,’” Mr. Putin mentioned. “Simply with one situation: 'We'll commerce him however be certain he doesn't come again, let him keep there.'”
He added: “Nevertheless it occurs. That is life.”
In response to a query from NBC Information, the feedback have been Mr. Putin's first concerning Mr. Navalny's demise in a penal colony within the Arctic — and a uncommon second, if not the primary time, when a Russian president talked about Mr. Navalny by identify. public.
Mr Navalny's allies claimed after his demise that he was on the verge of being freed in a prisoner alternate. A Western official instructed The New York Instances on the time that “preliminary discussions” on the potential for such a swap have been underway after Russian officers reported Mr Navalny’s demise on February 16.
The Western official mentioned discussions included swapping Mr. Navalny for 2 People imprisoned in Russia — Ivan Gershkovich, a reporter for The Wall Avenue Journal, and Paul Whelan, a company safety govt and former Marine — in alternate for Vadim Krasikov. In. At present imprisoned in Germany, Mr Krasikov was convicted of murdering a former Chechen separatist fighter in Berlin in 2019.
“It is a tragic occasion,” Mr Putin mentioned of Mr Navalny’s demise. “However we additionally produce other circumstances when folks have died in correctional houses. What’s extra, hasn’t this occurred in the USA as nicely?”
When Mr Navalny was alive, Mr Putin's distaste for him was such that he by no means publicly revealed his identify, in accordance with the Kremlin's archive of Mr Putin's interviews and speeches.
Mr Navalny practically died in 2020 after being poisoned by a military-grade nerve agent throughout a visit to Siberia. Western officers described the poisoning as an assassination try by the Russian state.