Russian President Vladimir Putin has said he agreed to swap his fiercest critic, Aleksei Navalny, several days before the opposition leader died in prison last month.
Speaking in Moscow on March 17 shortly after securing a new six-year term, Putin said he agreed to swap Navalny on the condition that he not return to Russia. It was the first mention of Navalny by name by the Russian leader in more than a decade.
Navalny died on February 16 in unclear circumstances in an Arctic prison where he was serving a 19-year term on extremism and other charges widely seen as politically motivated.
Putin did not say whom he wanted in return for freeing Navalny but last month in an interview with former Fox News host and political commentator Tucker Carlson, the Russian leader said he was willing to swap Westerners held in Russian prisons for convicted murderer and former Federal Security Service (FSB) Colonel Vadim Krasikov.
Investigative journalist Christo Grozev told RFE/RL in late February that he was involved in a plan to exchange Navalny for Krasikov, who was convicted of murdering a Chechen citizen of Georgian ethnicity.
SEE ALSO: Investigative Journalist Says Deal On Swap Involving Navalny Was Close Just Before Kremlin Critic's DeathThe plan was presented to Putin in February.
At least three countries participated in the discussions -- the United States, Germany, and Russia -- Grozev said in an interview on February 27 with RFE/RL's Bulgarian Service.
The U.S. State Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Putin’s remarks.