Honest Confession

A self-disclosing move by the Russian ruler.

Behind the discussions about who won and who lost as a result of the recent mass exchange, why some people were included in the lists and others were not, the self-disclosing step of the Russian ruler took second place.

It was his stepping towards Vadim Krasikov. The killer.

Putin and Krasikov embrace. The Kremlin master is uniquely welcoming.

This was not the first exchange during Putin's reign. But he's never made a show of bringing back failed agents before.

For example, in December 2022, he managed to return arms baron Viktor But to Russia. But then Putin did not come to the airport to greet the important person.

Russia has long tried to make a hero and patriot out of Krasikov. In Germany, he was jailed for the murder of Zelimkhan Khangoshvili, a warlord who was fighting for Chechnya at the turn of the century.

One could imagine Krasikov as some kind of noble avenger for dead Russian soldiers, but no. He executed not only "enemies of the Fatherland", but also took part in at least two contract killings in Russia: of businessmen Yuri Kozlov and Albert Nazranov.

Even Putin's law enforcers put Krasikov on the wanted list. But then, at the beckoning of someone's powerful hand, the criminal case was closed. "The investigation is over, forget it."

There are a number of Russians sitting in prisons around the world for murder. But the Kremlin is not too concerned about their fate. And it was only for Krasikov's release that titanic efforts were made, including organising a death sentence for a German citizen in Belarus.

This alone meant that Krasikov did not go to reckon with Khangoshvili on his own initiative. However, the scene at the airport, in fact, became a pure-hearted confession of Vladimir Putin: "I am the orderer of the terrorist act on the territory of another state".

The terrorist act, which was not really needed. But Putin's whim was enough. The head of the assassins' corporation gave the order, and the executor kissed boots.

One can, of course, say that the assassination of Khangoshvili is insignificant compared to Putin's atrocities in Ukraine. This is indeed true. And the field commander was not the first person to be liquidated in the West on orders from the Kremlin.

Nevertheless, the episode at the government airport of "Vnukovo" will remain in history as the most vivid document of the era. The era in which Russia's ruler is no longer embarrassed to show the blood on his hands.

Piotr Vodkin, Salidarnasts

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