German court finds Russia guilty of ‘conspiracy to murder’ in 2019 | Stories

Vadim Krasikov was sentenced to life in prison for killing Zelimkhan ‘Tornike’ Khangoshvili, a Chechen national of Georgia.

A Berlin court has sentenced a Russian man to life in prison for another crime murder in the German capital two years ago the prosecutors allegedly ruled by Moscow.

The assassination of the 2019 Zelimkhan “Tornike” Khangoshvili, 40-year-old Georgian Chechen, sparked outrage in Germany and burning slavery disputes between Berlin and Moscow.

A Wednesday court found 56-year-old Vadim Krasikov guilty of murder.

Critics said the killings were retaliatory for Khangoshvili’s involvement in Chechen War II and “his hostility toward Russia.”

Khangoshvili was shot dead around noon on August 23, 2019. Police arrested Krasikov the same day.

Defendants allege that Krasikov flew to Berlin under the name of Vadim Sokolov a few days before his assassination in connection with a “state-sanctioned assassination”, then shot him in the back with a rifle with a silencer near Kleiner Tiergarten park.

After Khangoshvili was lying on the ground, Krasikov reportedly fired two shots into his head.

Witnesses saw the suspect throwing a bicycle, a rifle and a wig into the Spree River near the scene and alerted police, who arrested him shortly before leaving the electric scooter parked at the door.

Relatives of the victim, who under German law were allowed to take part in the trial as protesters, accused Russia last week of trying to “send a message” to its political enemies by killing Khangoshvili, who had sought refuge in Germany three years ago. .

The judge ruled that Krasikov had “a very serious responsibility” for the killings, meaning he would not be released on parole after 15 years in Germany.

Although no complaints have been filed in Germany, defense lawyers this week asked the court to remove their client, saying his case was flawed.

The Kremlin says Russian allegations of genocide in Berlin are “baseless”.

The outcome of the trial could spark new tensions between Germany and Russia as the new Chancellor Olaf Scholz government tries to secure its foreign policy with Moscow.

This comes at a time when Western pressure is on the rise in Russia due to the large number of troops on the Ukrainian border.

Any violation of Ukraine and Russia’s territories could be costly, “Scholz told parliament Wednesday, without elaborating.

“We are paying close attention to security on the Russia-Ukraine border,” Scholz told Bundestag.

“Any breach of integrity will be costly and we will speak with one voice here with our European counterparts and transatlantic allies,” he said, adding that he still wanted to negotiate with Russia.