Associates of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny disclosed on Monday that discussions for a potential exchange involving Navalny and a Russian prisoner incarcerated in Germany were in progress shortly prior to Navalny's demise. Maria Pevchikh, residing outside Russia, revealed in a video statement that conversations were reaching a conclusion on February 15, the day before Navalny's reported death. They were considering a swap involving Navalny and two unidentified U.S. citizens held in Russia for Vadim Krasikov, who was serving a life sentence in Germany for his role in the 2019 killing in Berlin of Zelimkhan Khangoshvili. Pevchikh noted that German judges had cited Krasikov's actions as ordered by Russian authorities. No concrete details were provided regarding the identity of the U.S. citizens mentioned in the potential exchange deal.

When questioned about any possible efforts by Russia to facilitate such a swap involving Krasikov, German officials declined to comment. In a separate incident earlier this month, U.S. commentator Tucker Carlson raised the topic of exchanging one of the U.S. citizens detained in Russia for another prisoner, possibly referring to Krasikov, during a conversation with President Vladimir Putin.

Navalny, aged 47 and a prominent opposition figure in Russia, passed away on February 16 while serving a 19-year prison sentence on extremism charges he considered politically motivated. Following his death and amid the ongoing conflict in Ukraine, Western nations have imposed additional sanctions against Russia. Efforts to organize a memorial service for Navalny later this week are underway, according to Navalny's spokeswoman Kira Yarmysh.