Former Marine Paul Whelan remains in Russian prison. He wasn’t released because Russia wanted to free 56-year-old killer spy Vadim Krasikov, who is serving life in Germany, know where is he now
Britney Grinner, 32, was freed on December 8 in exchange for Viktor Bout, 55, who is known for selling weapons in Russia. The New York Times said Friday that unnamed US officials said Russia was willing to trade Griner for Bout because it thinks both of them are criminals.
Who Is Russian Spy And Assasin Vadim Krasikov Who Russia Want To Swap For Paul Whelan, His Story And Where Is He Now In 2022
Berlin court finds Russian guilty of Berlin park murder from worldnews
Eventually, Russia said that Whelan, who was sentenced to 16 years in prison on a false espionage charge, would only be traded for a Russian counterpart or someone with a similar status. The US says that the claims made against Whelan are not true. In 2018, a 52-year-old Michigan man who worked in corporate security was arrested in Moscow while he was there for a friend’s wedding.
Who Is Vadim Krasikov? What Is His Criminal History?
Vadim Krasikov, a 56-year-old convicted killer, used to be a colonel in Russia’s infamous FSB intelligence agency. In 2021, Krasikov was found guilty of killing Zelimkhan “Tornike” Khangoshvili during the day on August 23, 2019.
Vadim Krasikov is more than a "convicted murderer" he's a Russian government hitman…she's really a fuck up man😂 https://t.co/xYI4sh0kwg
— the big one (@curtnem) August 6, 2022
The spy who killed Khangoshvili followed him around Berlin on a bicycle and then shot him three times with a silenced Glock 26 pistol in the Kleiner Tiergarten park near the German parliament building, according to the New York Post.
Khangoshvili was looking for refuge in Germany when he was killed. He was once in charge of a Chechen militia that fought against Russia in the early 2000s. Prosecutors said the hit was ordered by Moscow because of this.
Vadim Krasikov Will Not Be Able To Get Out So Early
Even though German criminals don’t spend more than 15 years in prison, Krasikov’s sentence included a finding that would probably keep him from getting out early, according to Washington Post. After US Secretary of State Antony Blinken confirmed in July that the US had made a “substantial proposal” to get Russia to release both Griner and Whelan, Russia wanted Krasikov to be set free.
The next person Putin wants freed for swap… Vadim Krasikov, a former Russian intelligence colonel. He was sentenced in 2021 to life in a German prison after brutally assassinating a man in broad daylight with a silenced pistol. The murder was ordered by the Russian government. pic.twitter.com/2x93yhAYmG
— BIG MAN ON CAMPUS (@JeffNadu) December 10, 2022
But the Times said that German officials said no when the US asked them to release Krasikov, and an attempt by the US to make a three-way deal in which Germany would get something also failed.
To know more about Vadim Krasikov, do follow The SportsGrail on a regular and frequent basis.