The murder of a Georgian citizen, which became the reason for the expulsion from Germany of two Russian diplomats, was associated with a conflict in the criminal world where the deceased was spinning, experts are sure. This is indicated by both the biography of the murdered person and the nature of the crime, said Viktor Kulikov, director of the National Anti-Crime and Anti-Terrorism Foundation, in an interview with RT.
“The victim was a member of the gangs in the First and Second Chechen campaign. Perhaps this is a commercial showdown, because former supporters of Chechen separatists who came to Europe are somehow involved in illegal activities related to drug trafficking and human trafficking, ”the expert explained.
According to Viktor Kulikov, the death of a former militant in Berlin, because of which the FRG authorities made claims to Moscow, is completely unlike any special services.
“This is just a showdown that is criminal in nature - between criminal gangs based in Europe. But now this story is another reason to blame Russia for something, although there is no reason for it, ”the expert emphasized.
Dmitry Efimov, a member of the expert council of the Moscow City Duma Committee on Security, is also convinced that the true reasons for the killing of Khangoshvili are very far from the political sphere, as well as the area of activity of special services.
“Most likely, we are talking about dismantling inside competing gangs related to those incidents that could have happened during the hostilities in the North Caucasus. Most likely, this is an act of personal revenge, ”Efimov emphasized in an interview with RT.
A similar point of view is shared by the director general of the Center for Political Information, Alexei Mukhin. As an expert noted in a commentary on RT, the biography of Zelimkhan Khangoshvili killed in Berlin speaks for itself.
“Most likely, the murder is associated with gang warfare. A number of European countries have become a haven for such dubious characters with blood on hand. Unfortunately, for political reasons the FRG does not give out such personalities of Russia, political motivation in this case dominates the legal one, ”the expert noted in a comment to RT.
Recall, on the eve of the German Foreign Ministry announced two Russian diplomats who worked in the embassy in Berlin as non grata persons because of the case of the murder of a Georgian citizen in the German capital.
“The prosecutor general undertook an investigation into this case on the grounds that there is sufficient factual evidence that the murder was committed either by order of the state bodies of the Russian Federation or those of the autonomous Chechen Republic within the Russian Federation,” the German foreign policy statement said. departments.
According to the German Foreign Ministry, the expulsion of Russian diplomats was the reaction of the federal government to the fact that the Russian side did not take “sufficient participation” in the investigation into the murder of a man named “Tornike K.” in Berlin on August 23, 2019, despite requests from the German side.
Commenting on the German side’s statement about Moscow’s insufficient cooperation with Berlin, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov recalled that Russia and the Federal Republic of Germany have channels for law enforcement agencies to communicate.
“You need to use these channels. If our German partners declare that we have not cooperated enough, I don’t know what they are based on such estimates, ”the Russian Foreign Minister noted.
“The passport was fake”
Dmitry Efimov also emphasizes that the allegations of insufficient cooperation with the investigation are unfounded.
“Berlin accuses Moscow of not contributing to their requests. But the requests that they made to the state were not worked out, because the passport seized from the detained person was fake. Naturally, it was not possible to establish something in the Russian Federation using it, ”Yefimov said, commenting on the allegations from Berlin.
- Medical examiners at the site of the murder of Khangoshvili
- AFP
- © Christoph Soeder / dpa
Recall that in August 2019, a 40-year-old man was shot in the Maly Tiergarten park in Berlin. With the deceased, a passport was found in the name of a Georgian citizen Tornike Kavtarashvili. On the same day, the suspect was detained. According to the Berlin prosecutor’s office, they turned out to be a 49-year-old Russian citizen. The detainee refuses to admit his guilt. An alleged murder weapon was also found.
Officially, the FRG authorities name the deceased “Tornike K.”, but local media managed to find out his real name - this is the former field commander Zelimkhan Khangoshvili, who participated in the hostilities in Chechnya on the side of the terrorist organization “Emirate of the Caucasus” *. As Russian media previously reported, Khangoshvili was the leader of a gang hiding in the Pankisi Gorge, which in the summer of 2004 made terrorist attacks on the territory of Ingushetia. Since 2002, a man was put on the wanted list in Russia on suspicion of terrorist activity.
As Interfax reported on the day before, citing a source in Russian law enforcement agencies, in 2016 Khangoshvili was also put on the international wanted list by the Georgian authorities. At one time, the murdered man was closely connected with the leaders of terrorist groups operating in the North Caucasus, Aslan Maskhadov, Shamil Basaev, Doku Umarov and others, the source said. He added that on the account of Khangoshvili and his henchmen dozens of human lives - so, as a result of a series of attacks in 2004, 98 people were killed.
The fact that the terrorist found shelter in Germany should not be surprising, Dmitry Efimov, member of the expert council of the Moscow City Duma committee on security, explained in a RT commentary. The fact is that after the end of the Second Chechen War, many militants found shelter in Western Europe, including Germany. Western countries declared the militants "fighters for democracy." In part, this approach of the West influenced the development of Islamic extremism in other regions, where the “Islamic state” ** subsequently arose, ** the expert explained.
- Representatives of Chechen illegal armed groups in Grozny, 1995
- RIA News
- © Igor Mikhalev
Real farce
Russia stressed that Moscow would be forced to take measures in response to the actions of the German Foreign Ministry.
“We consider the statements of the German side on the expulsion of two employees of the Russian embassy in Berlin as baseless and unfriendly,” the diplomatic department said.
“A politicized approach to the investigation is not acceptable. We are forced to implement a range of response measures, ”added the Russian Foreign Ministry.
In turn, commenting on the expulsion of Russian diplomats, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said she could discuss this situation with Vladimir Putin.
“I will see the Russian president next week, I will let him know,” Merkel said, speaking at a briefing on the eve of the NATO summit in London the day before.
Recall, on December 9, a summit in the “Norman format” will be held in Paris, in which the leaders of Russia, France, the Federal Republic of Germany and Ukraine will take part, politicians will discuss the settlement of the conflict in the Donbass.
Answering journalists' questions on November 4, Russian presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov explained that rumors surrounding the murder of a Georgian citizen in Berlin would not lead to the cancellation of the meeting between Vladimir Putin and Angela Merkel.
“No, I don't think so. There are no serious suspicions and cannot be. What is the attitude to the Russian authorities? Absolutely baseless assumptions. The topic is somehow exalted by the German media, but this does not mean that this is the case, ”Peskov added.
Critical assessments of the actions of the German Ministry of Foreign Affairs are also heard in Germany. As the head of the German-Russian group in the Bundestag, deputy from the Alternative for Germany party, Robbie Schlund, said on the eve, the expulsion of Russian diplomats is a real farce.
- Head of the German-Russian group in the Bundestag, MP from the Alternative for Germany Party Robbie Schlund
- globallookpress.com
- © M. Popow / imago stock & people
“In fact, a note verbale to the Russian ambassador and the expulsion of diplomats are a farce in themselves, since in principle there is no reliable evidence that certain Russian citizens were involved in the murder in Moabit (Berlin district. - RT ),” the parliamentarian said.
As a politician told RIA Novosti, in Germany the murdered citizen of Georgia was previously recognized as a “dangerous Islamist," who, obviously, also had connections with the world of organized crime, which gives food for investigation in a different direction.
“The presumption of innocence should always be in force until the investigation is completed, and not a biased political condemnation, especially regarding current, very sensitive German-Russian relations and important upcoming negotiations in the“ Norman format, ”the diplomat said, adding that the German Foreign Ministry’s decision“ didn’t rendered service ”to German interests in foreign policy.
Political aspect
According to Alexei Mukhin, the German authorities must now provide a justification for their step, since we are talking about an extremely unfriendly gesture towards Moscow.
“The situation with the announcement of Russian diplomats by persons of non-grata is“ far-fetched ”, and it should be noted that the German side was in a hurry with the expulsion of diplomats. In order to prove Russia's involvement in these incidents and, accordingly, reach a verdict, you first need to familiarize it with the substantive part of the accusation, which has not been done, so the accusation can be considered unfounded, and therefore political, ”said the expert.
In his opinion, a diplomatic scandal erupted on the eve of the meeting in the "Norman format" not by chance.
“This is not the first time that German intelligence agencies have tried to influence Angela Merkel on the eve of her talks with Vladimir Putin, this is already a kind of bad tradition. Do not forget that the launch date of the Russian-German Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline is approaching now, the project has long been irritating the States. And the German special services operate in conjunction with American partners, ”said the expert.
However, the story of the expulsion of Russian diplomats and the accusations made against Russia are unlikely to affect Russian-German relations, Mukhin said.
“In fact, our relations are determined by such projects as Nord Stream-2, the economic balance between the countries. And such incidents are episodes and, as a rule, occur on the initiative of those who are trying to bring discord between Russia and Germany, ”the expert summed up.
* "Caucasus Emirate" - the organization was recognized as terrorist by a decision of the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation of 08.02.2010.
** “Islamic State” (IG) - the organization was recognized as terrorist by decision of the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation of December 29, 2014.