Abbas Gallyamov, Putin’s speechwriter from 2008-2012, has warned that the Russian security services could try and kill the likes of Gershkovich after the “humiliation” of having to release them.
Asked about the possibility of an assassination plot, he told the Daily Express: “It cannot be ruled out.”
He added that Putin may not even be the one to order the killing of the former prisoners: “Not so much Putin as his ‘hawks’ in FSB and military intelligence. Their release is like humiliation to them.”
Commenting on the release of Krasikov, Mr Gallyamov said that Putin will likely reward the spy for his work.
He said: “Krasikov went public and it makes him useless for covert operations. Putin will use him as a token of his loyalty to the community of assassins – he will make him a member of parliament or something like this – for all of them to see how much he cares about them.”
Mr Gershkovich was first arrested and detained in March 2023 as Moscow accused him of “gathering secret information” for the CIA.
The Wall Street Journal journalist said the charges against him were false. He had been sentenced to 16 years in prison.
Speaking to the Guardian, Mr Gershkovich spoke out about other prisoners who are still stuck in Russia.
He said: “I just spent a month in prison in Yekaterinburg and basically everybody I sat with is a political prisoner, and nobody knows them publicly.
“Today was a really touching moment… but I think it would be good to see if we can potentially do something about them as well.”
As Russia’s prisoners returned home, they were greeted by Putin who thanked some of them for their “military service.”
He said: “Especially to those who have military service, I want to thank you for your loyalty to your oath…You will all receive state awards. We will see each other again. We will talk about your future. But for now I just want to congratulate you on your return. Thank you.”
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov sought to dismiss any suggestion that the prisoner swap could help inspire a peace deal with Ukraine.
He said: “If we are talking about Ukraine and more complex international problems, this is a completely different matter.
“The principles there are completely different. They are the principles of the national interests of our country, the national security interests, and the work there is carried out in a different mode and according to different principles.”
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