Inna Andalitskaya12:01, 02.08.24

This exchange shows that relations between the West and Russia are returning to the times of the Cold War, believes Vladimir Fesenko.

Political scientist Vladimir Fesenko is convinced that the return home of Russian killer Vadim Krasikov and other Russian spies as part of an exchange between Western countries, the United States and Russia is a signal from Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin to the Russian spy network abroad. Fesenko said this on the air of the United News telethon .

“Russia has now launched a large-scale hybrid secret war against the West. The signal is: don’t be afraid, if you are detained, we will return you,” he noted.

According to Fesenko, this exchange shows that relations between the West and Russia are returning to the times of the Cold War.

“This is not about a warming, as many say, that a little more and they will agree on ending the war in Ukraine. No. There are no signs… But this exchange was negotiated for 1.5 years, somewhere since the end of 2022. The negotiations lasted a long time because the Russian Federation wanted to receive in exchange its professional killer, an officer of the Russian special services Krasikov, who was sentenced in Germany – life imprisonment… Since the Germans did not want to give up Krasikov, Putin found a way to put pressure on the Germans. They arrested a German citizen in Belarus and sentenced him to death, and this was the last straw that influenced the decision of the German government, the ruling coalition, and the exchange took place,” the political scientist noted.

Fesenko emphasized that the special services had agreed on this exchange.

“And pay attention to who the Russians returned. They returned a professional killer, their own killer, they returned professional spies and people who, I think, were also connected with the special services… Their own spies – that’s important. And that’s the logic of the Cold War. This is a signal to Russian agents abroad, and Russia has now started a large-scale hybrid secret war against the West, the signal is: don’t be afraid, if you are detained, we will return you. They say that the mandatory return of Krasikov was Putin’s condition,” Fesenko emphasized.

He noted that Putin even personally met Krasikov at the airport, whereas he does not meet captured soldiers who are returned to the Russian Federation.

“Putin likes to play these spy games, in particular, assassinations abroad. Many sources indicate that the hunt for Skripal in the UK, and earlier the murder of Litvinenko, was sanctioned by Putin himself… And his complicity in the meeting of these people (for the exchange) indicates that this is significant for him. And this is not the first time Putin has returned his spies: they returned a professional intelligence officer who worked in the States, now she works for Russian propaganda (about Anna Chapman), they returned Bout, who was involved in arms trafficking, and others. “Expendable material” in the war against Ukraine is not important to Putin, but spies are his professional corporation. Krasikov is important because he is a professional killer. And this is a signal to the West – how Putin can act in this secret war,” Fesenko commented.

Prisoner exchange between Russia and Western countries

As UNIAN reported, on August 1, 2024, as part of an exchange that took place in Turkey, the Russian Federation handed over 16 political prisoners and received in exchange 8 Russian citizens and two minors.

A number of countries took part in the exchange: the USA, Germany, Poland, Slovenia and Norway.

It is known that Russia returned, in particular, the killer Krasikov and the spies Anna and Artem Dultsev.

In exchange for them, Russia released political prisoners (in particular, Ilya Yashin and Vladimir Kara-Murza), Wall Street Journal journalist Evan Gershkovich, and Radio Liberty Tatar-Bashkir Service journalist Alsa Kurmanasheva. In addition, former Marine Paul Whelan and German citizen Patrick Schebel were exchanged.

Western intelligence services suggest that Krasikov and Russian dictator Vladimir Putin had close ties in the past. According to Bild, Krasikov may have participated in the murder of Anatoly Sobchak. In addition, the killer may have “knowledge that is dangerous for the Kremlin.”

According to official data, the cause of Sobchak’s death was a heart attack. However, relatives assumed that Sobchak was murdered.

(C)UNIAN 2024