Exchange exposes him

The “zoo killer” is a Russian agent

Putin wanted him back at all costs - he is even said to have suggested Alexei Navalny for an exchange before his death.(Bild: AP/Sputnik/Mikhail Voskresensky)

Experts have long suspected it, but now it is clear: the Kremlin confirmed on Friday that the notorious "Tiergarten killer" Vadim Krassikov was an agent of the Russian secret service FSB.

"Krasikov is a member of the FSB," said Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov. He was sentenced to life imprisonment in Germany in 2021.

Putin publicly defended the murderer
In 2019, Krasikov killed a Georgian man who had sought refuge in Germany in a park in the Tiergarten district of Berlin. Russian President Vladimir Putin publicly defended the murderer because, in Russia's view, he had eliminated an enemy of the state. According to CDU security expert Roderich Kiesewetter, Krassikov is a long-time colleague, friend and partner of Putin.

Meanwhile, US President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris welcomed their returning compatriots at Joint Base Andrews, not far from the capital Washington. "It's a wonderful feeling," said Biden. "I was absolutely convinced we could do this."

Was the exchange an elaborate move by Putin? He apparently freed a contract killer for civilians who were arbitrarily locked away.(Bild: AP/Sputnik)

Western politicians now fear propaganda effect
The Republican Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the US House of Representatives, Michael McCaul, highlighted concerns that the USA was making itself vulnerable to blackmail. CDU foreign policy expert Jürgen Röttgen also said that he feared the propaganda effect that the prisoner exchange would have on Putin.

"The worst thing would be if it were to be imitated. In other words, if Putin can now say to every hired murderer he sends to the West to eliminate people: You can see from the case of the 'Tiergarten murderer': I'll get you out."

Putin desperately wanted him back - he is even said to have suggested Alexei Navalny for an exchange before his death.(Bild: AP/Sputnik/Mikhail Voskresensky)

Another suspected agent released
Other Russian prisoners released as part of the exchange include Roman Zelesnyov, a computer hacker sentenced to 27 years in prison, and Vladislav Klyushin, an IT entrepreneur who was sentenced to nine years in prison for cyber fraud in the USA. In addition, Vadim Konoshchyonok, a suspected secret service agent who has not yet been sentenced for allegedly smuggling technology that could be used for military purposes while circumventing sanctions, has also been released.

Historical exchange
Russia, Belarus and several Western countries had exchanged a total of 26 prisoners at Ankara airport in an unprecedented operation involving the Turkish secret service MIT.

In return for the release of political prisoners and regime critics, Germany, the USA and partner countries let the "zoo murderer" and prisoners suspected of espionage from Russia go. 13 people landed in Cologne that night.