On August 1, the exchange of prisoners between Russia and several Western countries was exchanged, in which Vadim Krasikov, a former FSB employee and known as Putin Killer, was released. This caused great excitement in the Western special services, which believe that Krasikov could be closely linked to Vladimir Putin in the past.
The German edition of Bild reports that there are suspicions that Krasikov could have been involved in the murder of Anatoly Sobchak, the former mayor of St. Petersburg and Putin's political mentor. Special services assume that Krasikov can have information that is dangerous to the Kremlin. It is even likely that Putin could be afraid that Krasikov would reveal this data if he stayed in a German prison.
In particular, the version is considered that Krasikov could play a role in Putin's coming to power in the 1990s, when he worked for Sobchak and his environment, taking measures against political opponents. Shortly after Putin became president, Sobchak died. It was officially recognized as a heart attack, but some relatives suspected it could have been killed.
Western intelligence suggests that this is why Putin so actively sought the liberation of Krasikov. If the suspicion of Krasikov's involvement in Sobchak's murder is confirmed, it can seriously undermine Putin's reputation as a dedicated leader who so highly values loyalty.
