Thread by @christogrozev

In an exclusive interview, the brother-in-law of Vadim Krasikov (the person accused of the murder of Zelimkhan Khangoshvili in Berlin's Kleiner Tiergarten two years ago), tells us he positively recognized the person held in Berlin as his in-law.

https://twitter.com/FideliusSchmid/status/1429098973298634754

Alexander V. from Kharkiv already testified in Berlin's court last month. However, there he stopped short of identifying conclusively the detained assassin as his in-law, Vadim Krasikov. Shortly after his court appearance, he contacted us to explain he didn't speak the full truth

Sadly, his email had gone into the proverbial spam folder, until we discovered it just days ago. We rushed to interview him in Kyiv: with journalists from @bellingcat, @derspiegel and @the_ins_ru questioning Alexander for hours.

One of the toughest question he had to answer is why he didn't speak the full truth in court. He explained he had panicked, fearing reprisal from RU secret services, after not receiving what he deemed to be sufficient security guarantees to speak up freely.

He changed his mind briefly after the court hearing, partly due to guilt, partly due to expecting more safety from publicity, and partly as he received enhanced personal security commitments from Ukrainian authorities.

In addition to confirming "with full certainty" that the person he saw behind the glass enclosure in Berlin's court was indeed his in-law, Vadim Krasikov, 55, and not a younger "Vadim Sokolov" who does not in fact exist, he gave us a lot more background on his in-law.

Inn the nearly 2 hour interview, Alexander V. said he was certain Krasikov was a member of Russia's FSB service. He says he formed his conclusion on the basis of many different observations, from "wardrobe signs" such as Vympel-themed T-shirts and calendars, to war-time stories.

(Krasikov, Alexander says, had graduated the Ryazan military school and then was dispatched to Afghanistan as part of the then KGB-controlled Vympel unit). Krasikov would not openly speak about his job, though, telling his in-law "I don't want to lie to you, so better don't ask"

Alexander also says Krasikov had received an award from the president of a central Asian republic for services linked to that person's extraction in an operation credited to RU secret services (we had previously identified two trips by Krasikov to Kyrgyzstan, in 2011 and 2017)

He also said Krasikov repeatedly implied he personally knew president Putin, even commenting on the president's shooting skills. Obviously, this claim will be the hardest - but most interesting - to validate. (President Putin has shown an unusual interest in the Berlin case.)

Alexander V. also said that Krasikov had spent a significant time period in Ukraine in late 2013 and early 2014, and left only after the change of government and the Crimea annexation. While much of his claims will take time and effort to verify, this assertion was easy to check

Indeed, border crossing data obtained by us shows that Krasikov went to Ukraine shortly after he killed an entrepreneur in Moscow in June 2013. He stayed in Ukraine through the Maidan events, and returned to Russia in March 2014. A search warrant for him was dropped shortly after

.@bellingcat and its partners will continue verifying Alexander V's assertions. In the meantime, Alexander V's certainty in identification of the Berlin killer as his in-law Krasikov - if the court accepts his explanation as to why he lied in court - will be crucial for the case

His identification would provide the final link in the chain of evidence for the German prosecution to prove its case that the Berlin murder was an act of state terrorism, and not a simple contract killing. It's up for German courts to decide now if they want to hear him again.