Berlin is being criticized over its concessions for prisoner exchange with Moscow

The German government is facing criticism after agreeing to release a Russian Federal Security Service agent convicted of murder to help the United States complete a massive prisoner exchange with Moscow.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz on Thursday night defended his position in front of the press, saying the “difficult decision wasn’t taken lightly, but it was fair… It must be said that many feared for their health and their lives as well,” after receiving behind closed doors a group of released prisoners, especially the five German and Russian-German citizens involved in the exchange, after arriving at Cologne airport from Ankara.

At the same time, US President Joe Biden expressed his great gratitude to Scholz for the important concessions made within the framework of the diplomatic settlement.

He revealed that Berlin initially refused to release the Russian agent convicted of murder, Vadim Krasikov, before finally agreeing.

The Kremlin usually doesn’t reveal any details about its intelligence services, but confirmed Friday that at least two others launched under the deal were also secret agents based in the European Union.

Putin introduced them as heroes, thanked them personally for the service they performed for the motherland, and promised to bestow tributes on them.

Germany sentenced Vadim Krasikov, who the Kremlin admitted on Friday was a member of Russian intelligence, to life in prison for the murder of a Georgian from Berlin’s Chechen minority who fought Russian forces between 2000 and 2004.

Berlin’s decision to approve Krasikov’s release was difficult given that Russian espionage operations have been repeated in Germany, especially since the beginning of Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine.

Olaf Scholz said that in the end priority was given to the duty to protect German citizens imprisoned in Moscow as well as solidarity with the United States.

Among the Germans released is Rico Krieger, who is sentenced to death in Belarus on charges of terrorism, and mercenary.

Kevin Lake, a 19-year-old Russian convicted of high treason, Patrick Schopel, a tourist accused of drug trafficking, Russian-German jurist Germain Moises and Russian-German politician Dieter Voronin.

Berlin’s release of the Russian agent convicted of murder sparked controversy within the German government between the chancellery and the justice ministry, which had to order the prosecutor’s office to carry out the measure, German television channel NTV reported.

Germany Justice Ministry spokeswoman Marie-Christine Fox told AFP that the prosecutor in charge of the case had put forward very important arguments in favor of Vadim Krasikov serving his sentence until the end.

But eventually, Justice Minister Marco Buchmann estimated that his continued detention would have created a risk of serious harm to Germany, and its foreign policy and security interests.

He also cited humanitarian reasons due to the risks to the health and lives of detainees in Russia and Belarus included in Thursday’s deal, the spokeswoman said.

Consequently, the minister asked the prosecutor on Monday to release Krasikov, who was then transferred to Russia where he was received by President Vladimir Putin; In a statement, the minister acknowledged that these were bitter concessions.

The Frankfurter Allgemeine daily reported a feeling of disappointment in Germany’s federal prosecutor’s office, where there was an impression that Russian President Vladimir Putin had made power acquiesce.

Vadim Krasikov’s release was at the heart of the Kremlin’s demands during the negotiations.

On February, Putin personally demanded the repatriation of someone who killed a criminal in a European capital for national reasons, an apparent reference to Krasikov.

German weekly Der Spiegel said Thursday’s prisoner exchange was the result of several months of negotiations between Germany’s intelligence services, the CIA, the US government and the Kremlin.

Negotiations initially revolved around a prisoner swap involving Russian opposition figure Alexei Navalny, but he died in prison in Russia on February.

The current deal stipulated the Kremlin’s release of Wall Street Journal reporter Ivan Gershkovich and former Marines member Paul Whelan.

Amnesty International Germany said Berlin’s concessions were bitter, and a step by Moscow towards expanding judicial impunity.

The family of the former Chechen fighter killed in Berlin in 2019 spoke of a disappointing decision taken by the German government.

“We’re very disappointed when we see that there doesn’t seem to be any law in the world,” she said.

The widely read daily Bild spoke of the return of the Cold War, and a false message sent to the Russian people that “Putin is the hero” of this prisoner exchange and that he is “saving murderers”.

But Michael Roth, chairman of the German House of Representatives’ foreign affairs committee, a member of Olaf Scholz’s party, opined that “sometimes you have to make a deal with the devil!”