The German government said today that it should have ordered the release of Russian Federal Security Service (FSS) agent Vadim Krasikov as part of a large-scale prisoner swap with Moscow, overriding the objections of its own federal prosecutor's office, AFP reported, BTA reported.
The prosecutor in charge of the case presented "very substantial arguments" in favor of serving the rest of Vadim Krasikov's sentence, spokeswoman for the German Ministry of Justice Marie-Christine Fuchs told AFP.
The prisoner, who Russia admitted today was an agent of its secret services, was sentenced in 2021 to life in prison for the killing in central Berlin two years earlier of a former Chechen separatist commander and was serving his sentence in German prison.
Ultimately, however, German Justice Minister Marco Buschmann ruled that his continued detention would "give rise to the risk of serious harm" about Germany "and its foreign policy and security interests". According to the spokeswoman, the minister highlighted "humanitarian" considerations, due to the risks to the health and lives of the detained Russians and Belarusians, who were eventually exchanged yesterday.
Therefore, on Monday the Minister asked the Prosecutor General to release Vadim Krasikov, who was then transferred to Russia, where he was met by Russian President Vladimir Putin. In a statement, the minister admitted that these were "painful concessions". "However, one principle was decisive for me, although there were doubts - the freedom of the prisoners (who will be released from Russia and Belarus - note ed.)", he said.
Krasikov's release was the Kremlin's main demand in yesterday's massive prisoner swap, the biggest of its kind since the end of the Cold War. However, the decision caused a controversy in Germany, being criticized by the family of the victim of the FSS agent, "Amnesty International" and the media, notes AFP.