US Regrets Not Including Alexei Navalny in Russia Swap Before His Death

Photo : AFP

Amid the celebration of a successful prisoner swap that secured the release of numerous US citizens and Kremlin opponents from Russian prisons, the White House publicly expressed regret on Thursday over one significant omission: Alexei Navalny. National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan disclosed that the US had been working on a deal to include Navalny in the exchange but was unable to do so before his death.

The swap, which involved the release of 16 people—including three US citizens and a US resident—in exchange for 10 Russians selected by the Kremlin, had been at a crucial stage in negotiations. However, in February 2024, just as the talks were nearing completion, Navalny passed away in a harsh Russian Arctic prison where he was serving a 19-year sentence. Navalny had been imprisoned after exposing widespread Kremlin corruption and had survived an assassination attempt involving a rare Soviet-era nerve agent before returning to Russia from Germany, knowing he would face arrest.

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Navalny's death was a profound blow to the White House team, who had been diligently working to secure the release of other prisoners. According to a senior US official, the news of Navalny’s death was disheartening, leaving the team feeling as if "the wind had been taken out of our sails."

Sullivan recounted that on the very day Navalny died, he was with the parents of Evan Gershkovich, a Wall Street Journal reporter arrested in Russia in March 2023. Sullivan assured them that despite the tragic news, President Biden was committed to completing the swap and that the team would work tirelessly to make it happen.

The plan ultimately succeeded. On Thursday, the individuals chosen by the West, including Gershkovich and a prominent Russian human rights activist, were flown to Turkey and subsequently returned home. This group also included two of Navalny’s former aides, Lilia Chanycheva and Ksenia Fadeyeva. The Russians selected by the Kremlin, which included a hitman and suspected spies, were transported to Moscow.

In response to the swap, US Vice President Kamala Harris reached out to Yulia Navalnaya, Navalny’s widow, to discuss the exchange and offer her support. Harris, who is campaigning to succeed President Biden in the upcoming election, expressed her condolences and commitment to ongoing efforts to secure the release of additional political prisoners. Navalnaya urged the international community to continue working towards the release of other Russian political prisoners.

The emotional and political ramifications of Navalny's death and the subsequent prisoner swap underscore the complex and often perilous nature of international negotiations involving high-profile political figures.