Navalny Was Killed to Sabotage His Exchange with Krasikov, Says Pevchikh

The head of the International Anti-Corruption Foundation, Maria Pevchikh, claims that Alexei Navalny was killed in prison to prevent his exchange with alleged Russian intelligence officer Vadim Krasikov, who is serving a sentence in Berlin for murder.

According to her, on the evening of February 15, she received confirmation that negotiations for the exchange were in the final stages. The next day, news of Navalny's death was announced.

Pevchikh stated that after the outbreak of war in Ukraine, Navalny's associates, with the help of investigator Christo Grozev, began working on the possibility of exchanging him and other political prisoners, specifically for Russian spies. Despite many foreign officials refusing to assist in executing this program, and thanks to the help of certain unnamed individuals, it was still close to realization, according to Navalny's ally.

Pevchikh also mentioned that the idea of exchanging Navalny for Krasikov was brought to President Putin by businessman Roman Abramovich. However, Pevchikh does not provide direct evidence to support her claims.