Who is Vadim Krasikov, Russia’s priority prisoner in historic swap?

Vadim Krasikov was the most prominent of several Russians imprisoned by the West before being released Thursday in a massive global prisoner swap.

President Biden revealed Thursday that Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, former U.S. Marine Paul Whelan, Alsu Kurmasheva and Vladimir Kara-Murza were freed along with five Germans and seven Russian citizens who were being held as political prisoners.

Russian authorities have made it clear that Krasikov would be one of the top choices for a prisoner exchange. CNN reported Thursday that Krasikov has already returned to Russia after the swap was announced.

Here’s what to know about Krasikov:

Convicted in Germany for murder

Krasikov, 58, was imprisoned in Germany for the Aug. 23, 2019, murder of Zelimkhan “Tornike” Khangoshvili, who was shot and killed in a park in Berlin, according to The Associated Press. Khangoshvili, 40, was a Georgian citizen who had fought Russian troops in Chechnya and claimed asylum in Germany.

Witnesses reportedly saw the shooter throw a bike, a gun and a dark wig into a nearby river. Police arrested him before he could make a run for it on an electric scooter.

Krasikov was convicted for the killing and sentenced to life in prison in 2021.

Russia said allegations of Kremlin involvement were ‘groundless’

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said at the time of Krasikov’s arrest that allegations of Russian involvement were “absolutely groundless.”

The court in Germany determined that Krasikov acted on behalf of Russian authorities, who gave him the resources to carry out the attack.

In an interview with Tucker Carlson earlier this year, Russian President Vladimir Putin signaled that he would be interested in a prisoner swap in exchange for Krasikov.

Germany said release did not come ‘lightly’

Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s spokesperson, Steffen Hebestreit, said in a statement that the decision to free Krasikov did not come “lightly,” according to CNN.

“The state’s interest in enforcing the prison sentence of a convicted criminal was offset by the freedom, physical well-being and — in some cases — ultimately the lives of innocent people imprisoned in Russia and those wrongfully imprisoned for political reasons,” Hebestreit said.

Biden thanked Scholz on Thursday for delivering on “significant concessions” in the release of Krasikov.

“I particularly owe a great sense of gratitude to the chancellor [of Germany], the demands [Russia was] making of me, required me to get some significant concessions from Germany, which they originally concluded they could not do because of the person in question,” Biden said in remarks from the White House.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.