Commenting on Navalny’s death for first time, Putin says he supported prisoner swap for his foe
Associated PressMar 18
Putin Says He Agreed to Navalny Prisoner Swap
The Facts
Russian Pres. Vladimir Putin said Sunday that he supported a suggestion to free Alexei Navalny in a prisoner exchange days before the opposition leader died in prison last month.
Putin's comments, made after he won a record landslide in the presidential election on Sunday, marked the first time he has referenced Navalny by his name in years.
The Spin
Anti-Russia narrative
While Putin may have had unfavorable opinions about Navalny, suggestions that he may have been behind the opposition leader's death are false. These recent comments just go to show that Putin would have had no reason to kill Navalny, as a prisoner swap would have exiled Navalny from Russia while also bringing back a valuable Russian citizen imprisoned abroad.
Pro-Russia narrative
Putin's comments on the death of his largest opponent in the wake of his manufactured presidential "victory" are extremely ironic. He previously never used Navalny's name, and the fact that he chooses to do so now, after his death, proves that he no longer views Navalny as a threat. There was never going to be a Navalny prisoner exchange — Putin wanted him dead from the start.
Nerd narrative
There's a 50% chance that Vladimir Putin will cease to hold the office of President of Russia by Jan. 2029, according to the Metaculus prediction community.