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Vadim Nikolaevich Krasikov (Russian: Вади́м Никола́евич Кра́сиков; born 10 August 1965) is a Russian security service hitman who was sentenced to life imprisonment in Germany for the killing of Zelimkhan Khangoshvili in Berlin, Germany on August 23, 2019. On August 1, 2024, he returned to Russia after a prisoner exchange between Russia and the West.[1][2][3] One of the prisoners involved in the exchange for Krasikov, Ilya Yashin, would condemn the fact that he was specifically freed in exchange for him due to Krasikov originally being sentenced to life in prison for the murder of Khangoshvili during the Second Chechen War.[4]
Vadim Krasikov | |
|---|---|
_Russia.jpg) Krasikov (wearing a baseball cap) arrived at Vnukovo International Airport during the prisoner exchange on August 1, 2024 | |
| Birth name | Vadim Nikolaevich Krasikov |
| Born | 10 August 1965 Kenestobe, Baydibek District, Kazakh SSR, Soviet Union |
| Rank | Colonel |
After stalking and shooting Khangoshvili in Kleiner Tiergarten Park, Krasikov threw his bicycle, pistol and a bag containing his disguise into the Spree River. Witnesses called the police, who detained him. Then investigators found his fingerprints on some of the items retrieved by police divers. Krasikov denied the killing, saying that he was a tourist named Vadim A. Sokolov, the name on his Russian passport. His real identity was finally established using photographs that showed his distinctive tattoos. German prosecutors indicated that Krasikov worked for the Russian Federal Security Service, who gave him a false identity, passport, and the resources for the assassination.[2][5]
References
edit- ^ "Who are the prisoners in the Russia-West swap?". BBC News. 1 August 2024.
- ^ a b "Who Is the Russian Assassin Freed as Part of a Sweeping Prisoner Swap?". The New York Times. 1 August 2024.
- ^ "German decision to release FSB hitman in prisoner swap 'not taken lightly'". The Guardian. 1 August 2024.
- ^ Hopkins, Valerie. "Russian Dissident Says He Was Traded Against His Will in Inmate Swap". The New York Times. Retrieved 4 August 2024.
- ^ "Putin called him a patriot. But who is Vadim Krasikov, a Russian released in the mass prisoner swap?". The Associated Press. August 1, 2024. Retrieved 2 August 2024.
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