After the Berlin court sentenced a 56-year-old Russian man to life imprisonment, the new German government is facing a call to confront the Kremlin. The man “orchestrated” the assassination of a Chechen dissident in the German capital at the request of the Russian authorities.
Zelimkhan “Tornike” Kangoshvili, 40 years old, a citizen of Georgia, fought against Russia in the Second Chechen War in the early 2000s. Shot twice in the head at close range In August 2019, in the Kleiner Tiergarten park in central Berlin.
The killing sparked outrage in Germany and prompted the government Expelled two Russian diplomats, Leading to a reciprocal response from Moscow.
Wednesday’s verdict may put pressure on the diplomatic relations between Russia and Germany, because Russia is already nervous about gathering troops near the Ukrainian border. The response of the new German government to the verdict will be seen as the first test of Prime Minister Olaf Schultz and Foreign Minister Annalena Belbok, who vowed to defend human rights.
The Der Tagesspiegel newspaper wrote in an editorial that the killings ordered by Moscow on German soil were “a heinous violation of the sovereignty of the Federal Republic” and the illusion that the destruction of relations with Russia could be “completely repaired” should be eliminated. More dialogue”.
A Russian national was found to have thrown a bicycle and gun into the Spree River and was detained near the scene. The visa documents he carried indicated that he was 49-year-old Vadim Andreevich Sokolov. Born in Irkutsk, Siberia, based in St. Petersburg. However, an investigation by the open source intelligence agency Bellingcat identified the suspect as 56-year-old Vadim Nikolaevich Krasikov, who had traveled to Germany under a false identity. Researchers participating in the investigation were invited as court witnesses.
The other witness was the brother-in-law of the Russian suspect, who was identified as Krasikov in October this year. When he first appeared in court, the same witness refused to reveal the identity of the defendant, but later asked to be invited back, saying that he was afraid of becoming a target of Russian intelligence agencies.
Krasikov denied any relationship with the Russian state and Russia’s main security agency FSB. His defense lawyer said he was the victim of a wrong identity.
But on Wednesday, the Berlin District Court stated that the Russian security services provided 56-year-old Krasikov with false identities, false passports, and resources to perform popular tasks in 2019.
The judge said: “At the latest in June 2019, the state organs of the Central Government of the Russian Federation will make a decision to liquidate Tolnik Hangoshvili in Berlin.” “Four children have lost their fathers, and two siblings have lost their brothers. .
“Some media have hinted that Russia and even Vladimir Putin are being tried here,” he added. “This is misleading: only criminals are on the bench. But our task does involve considering the circumstances of the crime.”
The judge said that Krasikov was “especially responsible” for the killing and therefore will not be entitled to automatic parole after 15 years of German practice.
The verdict meets the requirements of the German federal prosecutor. In view of the higher political significance of the case, the prosecutor has already taken over the case. In the indictment, the prosecutor accused Russia of “completely disregarding the principles of the rule of law” and ordered the murder.
They claimed that Krasikov went to Berlin under the pseudonym of “State Contract Killing” and shot the victim from behind with a pistol equipped with a silencer near Kleiner Tiergarten. It was alleged that Kangoshvili was lying on the ground and Krasikov shot him twice in the head.
Witnesses said they saw the suspect threw a bicycle, a gun and a wig into the carnival near the scene and notified the police, who arrested him before he was riding on an electric scooter parked at the door. .
According to German law, relatives of the victims were allowed to participate in the trial as co-plaintiffs. Last week they accused Russia of trying to “transmit information” to its political opponents by killing Hangoshvili, who applied for asylum in Germany three years ago. .
The Russian ambassador to Germany Sergey Nechaev claimed on Wednesday that the Berlin court’s decision was politically motivated. He said: “We believe that this decision is a biased and politically motivated decision, which has put considerable pressure on the already difficult German-Russian relations.”
Putin denounced Kangoshvili as a “robber” and a “terrorist”. He killed dozens of people in the battle in the Caucasus. He also stated that the allegations of his government’s involvement in the killings were “completely unfounded”.
