Germany accuses Russia contract killing of a former Chechen warlord Zelimkhan khangoshvili. Official Berlin does not exclude the introduction of new anti-Russian sanctions.
on Thursday, June 18, Federal prosecutors in Germany “brought charges in the court chamber of the Senate of Berlin against a Russian citizen Vadim K., also known as Vadim S.”, is spoken in the message of Department. The accused is suspected of murder and violating the law on arms trafficking.
the Former field commander during the second Chechen war, had Georgian citizenship, Zelimkhan khangoshvili (aka Tornike Kavtarashvili) was shot dead on August 23, 2019 in the Berlin Park Tiergarten Small.
khangoshvili was killed by two shots from a pistol Glock 26 on the way to the mosque. The killer approached the victim on a Bicycle. On suspicion of murder after a short time, was arrested by the Russian (media reported that the suspect was Vadim Sokolov, whose actually name is Vadim Krasikov)
According to press reports, up to 2015 the suspect in the murder khangoshvili was in Russia wanted for a murder committed in the same scenario as in Berlin in Moscow in June 2013, a businessman from Kabardino-Balkaria was shot approached him from behind cyclist.
as for Zelimkhan khangoshvili, this little known to the General public action during the “second Chechen war” fought on the side of the separatists at the head of a detachment of natives of the Pankisi gorge. It is known that he was an ally of the separatist leader Aslan Maskhadov and terrorist Shamil Basayev.
In 2002, Russia khangoshvili was accused of terrorism and wanted. The gunman moved to Germany after 2015 in Georgia, he was assassinated, in which he was hospitalized with gunshot wounds.
Although German authorities were in no hurry to promote him political asylum, a German law-enforcement authorities suspected him of belonging to “militant Islamists”, the decision on deportation to Zelimkhan khangoshvili was able to appeal.
the Alleged killer, a Russian citizen, was detained in Berlin on the same day, when he was killed khangoshvili.
at First, the murder case was involved in the Berlin Prosecutor’s office, but in December of 2019 the investigation began, Federal prosecutors in Germany. This was an obvious signal the presence of German justice of the suspicions that the crime involved foreign intelligence agencies.
Then, in December last year, Germany announced the expulsion of two employees of Embassy of the Russian Federation. This move was motivated by the German foreign office that the Russian authorities, despite repeated requnit of the German side, did not have adequate assistance in investigation of loud murder in Berlin.
says Federal prosecutors in Germany, the task to eliminate Kavtarashvili the accused was given subject to the government of Russia of the Ministry.
“For custom-made murder was the hostile attitude of the victim with the Russian government, with the governments of the Autonomous republics of Chechnya and Ingushetia, and also with the Pro-Russian government of Georgia”, – quotes the statement of the Prosecutor of the Deutsche Welle.
In connection with the murder of Zelimkhan khangoshvili, the foreign Minister of Germany Heiko Mas did not rule out the possibility of introducing new sanctions against Russia: “the Federal government clearly reserves the right to take further action on this case.”
According to the head of the foreign Ministry of Germany, the Russian Ambassador in Berlin was “invited” to the German foreign office.
Recall that not so long ago, in late may, the head of the Russian diplomatic mission also was called for interview in the German foreign Ministry in connection with accusations of Russia committed in 2015, cyber attacks on the Bundestag.
