It has been reported that 13 Russian citizens have been returned to their homeland under the terms of a prisoner exchange deal between Moscow and the West. Among them is Vadim Krasikov, who was sentenced to life in Germany for the murder of former Chechen field commander Zelimkhan Khangoshvili. This was reported by the American television channel CBS.

Zelimkhan Khangoshvili came to Germany in 2016 and received asylum. His murder was committed on August 23, 2019, in Berlin's Small Tiergarten park. According to investigators, Krasikov (aka Sokolov) rode up to the victim on a bicycle and fired two shots. He was arrested and brought to justice the same day. The media reported that the killer was an FSB officer and was later sentenced to life.

Today, as part of the exchange, Russia released Americans – Wall Street Journal journalist Evan Gershkovich and former Marine Paul Whelan. Moscow was given the spies Artem and Anna Dultsev, exposed in Slovenia. It was also reported that oppositionist Vladimir Kara-Murza, Radio Liberty journalist Alsu Kurmasheva and other political prisoners were released. The operation was carried out with the assistance of the National Intelligence Organization of Turkey.

The Chechen diasporas in Europe reacted very negatively to the exchange of Krasikov, calling it “blasphemous.”