Chancellor Olaf Scholz justified the release of Vadim Krassikov, the so-called Tiergarten murderer, as part of a prisoner exchange with Russia, citing the danger to life and limb of German citizens imprisoned in Russia.
“No one made the decision lightly to deport a murderer sentenced to life imprisonment after only a few years in custody,” Scholz said at Cologne/Bonn Airport. He explained that the government had to weigh the state’s interest in enforcing the sentence against “the threat to freedom, body, and in some cases life of innocent people imprisoned in Russia and those unjustly politically imprisoned.”
For the federal government, the decisive factors were “our obligation to protect German citizens and our solidarity with the USA,” Scholz added.
Opposition leader informed and agreed
Scholz stated that he had informed opposition leader Friedrich Merz about the plan and the current procedure early on. Merz had expressly assured that he agreed with the federal government’s decision.
After completing the exchange, Scholz spoke with US President Joe Biden, who expressed his gratitude for the cooperation between the two countries on this important matter. For the US, it was particularly crucial to secure the release of US journalist Evan Gershkovich and former US Marine Paul Whelan.
Biden appeared before cameras in Washington with relatives of the freed Americans, saying, “I owe a great debt of gratitude to the Chancellor.” He acknowledged requesting “significant concessions” from Germany given Russia’s demands.
Bitter concession for a new life in freedom
Federal Minister of Justice Marco Buschmann described the release of convicted Russian murderer Vadim Krassikov from German custody as a bitter concession in the prisoner exchange. This was done to give 16 people a new life in freedom, he explained. “They faced a fate similar to what Alexei Navalny suffered: death in inhumane arbitrary detention.”
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg welcomed the prisoner exchange, emphasizing the importance of the right to peaceful opposition and media freedom for any functioning society.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen called it a “moment of great joy” for all those who fought for their freedom, highlighting the stark difference between the release of innocent EU and US citizens and sincere Russian democrats in exchange for convicted criminals and murderers.
US reactions and Trump’s criticism
US Vice President Kamala Harris praised the courage of the freed Americans and offered support to Navalny’s widow, emphasizing their commitment to a “democratic Russia.”
Former US President Donald Trump criticized the American negotiators as “embarrassing,” questioning whether the US had paid money for the releases, which National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan explicitly denied.
