Russia and the West have agreed on a spectacular prisoner exchange, the German government confirmed on Thursday. Among those released by Russia are five German citizens, including the former Cologne lawyer German Moyzhes. The returnees arrived at Cologne/Bonn Airport on Thursday evening, and two planes carrying the released prisoners landed in Cologne shortly after 11 p.m. Olaf Scholz interrupted his vacation and was at the airport to receive the returnees.
“Nobody made this decision easily,” said the Chancellor, referring to the so-called Tiergarten murderer, Vadim K., who was released from prison as part of the deal. In this case, the state’s interest in executing the sentence had to be weighed “against the risk to the freedom of, and in some cases the life of, innocent people imprisoned in Russia and unjustly political prisoners.”
Olaf Scholz: “Nobody made this decision easily”
For the federal government, it was crucial “that we have an obligation to protect German citizens as well as solidarity with the USA,” explained Scholz. The implementation was achieved “by an order from the Federal Prosecutor General to refrain from enforcing the prison sentence and subsequent deportation,” said the Chancellor.
Russia and several Western countries released 26 men and women in the prisoner exchange. In return for the extradition of the so-called Tiergarten murderer from Germany and nine other people previously held in the USA, Norway, Poland and Slovenia, 16 Western citizens and Russian opposition members were released.
Crowd at Cologne/Bonn Airport: “This is a holiday for us”
An hour before the plane landed, a crowd of people had already gathered in front of the fence of the military airport in Cologne: supporters of the Russian opposition who wanted to welcome the prisoners here on German soil. Dozens were already there, and several more were running towards the group with rain capes, signs and flowers.
“This is a holiday for us,” says Anastasia Hendzelewski. She is holding a welcome sign and umbrella in one hand and a bouquet of yellow flowers in the other. In the rush, she had quickly pocketed the flowers from the vase in her apartment – there was no time to buy new ones. “It gives me hope that the Putin regime will be defeated at some point.”
Supporters of the Russian opposition have gathered at Cologne/Bonn Airport.
Next to her, Valerian Dunin-Barkowski has stood on the side of the road, a cap with the logo of the organization “Free Russia NRW” on his wet hair. In recent weeks he has heard many rumors that Russian prisoners are being released, he says. He doesn’t dare to fully believe them. “We are very grateful that this deal came about,” he says. “It was a tough deal, but I am glad that Russians who fought for freedom are now free themselves.”
Spectacular prisoner exchange: Cologne lawyer released
Among those released by Russia and its ally Belarus are five Germans, three US citizens, one person with a US work and residence permit (green card) and seven Russians, according to a statement from the White House in Washington. The exchange took place at the airport in the Turkish capital Ankara. According to Turkish sources, the Russians released included prominent Kremlin opponents such as Vladimir Kara-Mursa and Ilya Yashin.
One of the Germans is Rico K., who was first sentenced to death in Belarus for alleged involvement in a bomb attack and then pardoned. Russia handed over to the USA, among others, Evan Gershkovich, a correspondent for the Wall Street Journal who had been convicted of espionage, and former soldier Paul Whelan.
German Rico K. imprisoned in Belarus part of prisoner exchange
German Moyzhes, a German-Russian who formerly worked as a lawyer in Cologne, also came According to the “Jüdische Allgemeine” in the prisoner exchange. It was said that he contacted his family at the airport in Ankara. At the beginning of May, Moyzhes was arrested in St. Petersburg and accused of “treason.” The German-Russian Jew was active in the Cologne city council, but moved back to St. Petersburg a few years ago.
Rico K., a German who was sentenced to death in Belarus and pardoned by dictator Alexander Lukashenko on Wednesday, is also among those returning. “We have negotiated the release of 16 people from Russia, including five Germans and seven Russian citizens who were political prisoners in their own country.”
Putin greets “Tiergarten murderer” with handshake and hug
The release of Vladimir Kara-Mursa is particularly noteworthy. The 42-year-old, who is in serious health after poison attacks, was sentenced to 25 years in prison. After the death of Alexei Navalny, Kara-Mursa is considered the most prominent critic of Russian President Vladimir Putin. The opposition politician is a companion of Kremlin critic Boris Nemtsov, who was shot dead in Moscow in 2015.
Vladimir Putin welcomes “Tiergarten murderer” Vadim K. in Moscow.
The Kremlin initially refused to comment for a long time. In the evening, President Vladimir Putin finally pardoned the exchanged prisoners and then personally received them at the airport in Moscow. The Kremlin chief greeted Tiergarten murderer Vadim K. with a handshake and a hug.
Threats from Russia after prisoner exchange
Former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev threatened the released prisoners after the prisoner exchange and called them “traitors to Russia” on Telegram. However, it would be “more sensible to get our own people out, who worked for the country, for the fatherland, for all of us,” added Putin’s close confidant.
The current vice-chairman of the Russian National Security Council also recommended that the “traitors” take on new names and “actively disguise themselves within the framework of the witness protection program.” In doing so, he suggested that Moscow could persecute the released Kremlin critics abroad.
Joe Biden: “I owe the Chancellor a great debt of gratitude”
“Above all, I owe a great debt of gratitude to the Chancellor,” said US President Biden in a speech at the White House in Washington. In view of Russia’s demands, he had to ask for “significant concessions” from Germany. Originally, Germany was unable to meet these “because of the person in question.” But in the end, Germany made its contribution, as did several other countries that were involved in the negotiations.
The “person in question” is the so-called Tiergarten murderer. Kremlin chief Vladimir Putin has repeatedly shown particular interest in the Russian imprisoned in Germany who was convicted of murdering a Chechen exile in the Kleiner Tiergarten in Berlin. Vadim K. is said to have committed the crime on behalf of Russian state authorities.
Prominent prisoners in Russia transferred from prisons
“This decision was not taken lightly,” government spokesman Steffen Hebestreit explained in Berlin this afternoon. In return, Russian nationals convicted in Europe would also have had to be released, including K.
