In 2019, a Russian shot a Georgian in Berlin's Kleiner Tiergarten. At the time, Moscow denied the allegations that it ordered the murder. Now, according to a media report, the Kremlin is said to have demanded the transfer of the killer. However, not from Germany, but from the USA.
According to a media report, Moscow is said to have demanded the transfer of the convicted Russian in the so-called Tiergarten murder case in negotiations about the release of two Americans imprisoned in Russia. This was reported by the US broadcaster CNN, citing sources familiar with the talks. Russia submitted this request to the United States earlier this month via informal intelligence channels. According to the report, the request was classified as problematic, among other things, because the 56-year-old is in prison in Germany. In addition, Moscow is demanding the release of Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout, who has been imprisoned in the United States.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke to his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov on Friday for the first time since the war in Ukraine began. The background is an offer by the USA that the release of the US basketball player Brittney Griner imprisoned in Russia and the American citizen Paul Whelan should be achieved. The US government has not yet released any details about the nature of the offer and has not confirmed that it will be a prisoner swap. Previously, there had always been reports of a prisoner exchange with arms dealer Bout.
The so-called Tiergarten murder had led to diplomatic upheavals between Germany and Russia. Both states expelled several diplomats from the other country. In August 2019, a Georgian was shot dead in the Kleiner Tiergarten park in Berlin. The Berlin Court of Appeal had sentenced a Russian to life imprisonment. The judges were convinced that he acted on behalf of Russian state authorities. Russia denies such allegations.
"Holding two wrongly imprisoned Americans hostage in exchange for the release of a Russian murderer in the custody of a third country is not a serious counter-offer. It is a malicious attempt to sidestep the present offer, which Russia should accept," a spokeswoman for CNN quoted as saying National Security Council, Adrienne Watson. It remains unclear whether Watson confirmed the Russian demand or just made a general statement. When asked by the US State Department, there was no confirmation for the CNN report.
