Russia Acknowledges That Several of Its Security Forces Are Among the Exchanged Prisoners

The Kremlin spokesperson stated that Vadim Krasykov, who was sentenced to life in prison in Germany for the murder of a Chechen Georgian citizen, was released in a prisoner exchange between Russia and the West. Krasykov is an officer of the Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) and a member of its special forces unit known as 'Alpha Group.' He was the first person to exit the plane carrying the Russian prisoners upon its landing on Thursday evening, August 11. Vladimir Putin embraced Krasykov during the welcome of the released prisoners, indicating his significance. A German court had stated about three years ago that Russian state agencies provided Krasykov with a fake passport and the necessary means to kill Zelimkhan Khangoshvili, a Chechen Georgian citizen, in broad daylight in Berlin in 2019. At that time, the Russian government described the allegations of involvement in this murder as 'ridiculous and unfounded.' Two other Russian prisoners exchanged on Thursday were Artem Dolgov and Anna Dolgova, who traveled to Moscow with their two children. This couple was arrested in Slovenia in 2022 and convicted in court for espionage against NATO and EU member countries under the guise of a fake Argentine identity. Dmitry Peskov, the Kremlin spokesperson, confirmed on Friday, August 12, that this couple were 'illegal' agents, meaning trained operatives who lived abroad for years under a false identity pretending to be citizens of another country. In a press conference in Moscow, he stated, 'The children of these intelligence officers who arrived in Moscow yesterday only realized they were Russian when the plane took off from Ankara to Moscow.' Peskov added, 'Before this, they did not know they were Russian or had any connection to our country. You probably saw that when these two children exited the plane, they did not speak Russian, and Vladimir Putin greeted them in Spanish, saying 'Buenas Noches,' good night.' According to him, 'The children asked their parents who the man was that welcomed them at the airport. They did not even recognize Putin. This shows how agents operate and how much they sacrifice to carry out their duties and missions.' Peskov added that Russian state agencies are working to free other Russian citizens imprisoned abroad. He stated that negotiations for the recent prisoner exchange were conducted by the FSB and the CIA. He reminded that welcoming the released prisoners at Moscow airport was very important for Vladimir Putin. Putin promised that the exchanged Russian prisoners would receive government awards and that their future would be given special attention. In response to the question of whether the large prisoner exchange could be a sign of Russia's readiness for an agreement regarding Ukraine, Dmitry Peskov said these two issues are completely different and that actions to find a possible diplomatic solution for the Ukraine war are carried out 'based on completely different principles.'