Rico Krieger
Rico Krieger is a German citizen, most notable for his reported sabotage work inside Belarus for the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) and Kastuś Kalinoŭski Regiment, subsequent detainment, and release during the 2024 Russian prisoner exchange.
[8] Under the supposed orders from the Security Service of Ukraine, Krieger first traveled to the Mogilev Region, and then to the railway station in Asipovichy[b] to take reconnaissance photos and record the coordinates of military objects.
[12] The following day on 6 October at the Minsk National Airport, Krieger was detained and placed under police custody while waiting for his flight back to Germany.
[2] During the trial process, the German Ministry for Foreign Affairs provided Krieger with prison visits and some legal support,[15] after first being contacted by the State Security Committee of the Republic of Belarus on 27 November 2023.
[5] After twelve sessions, a verdict was reached on 24 June 2024 finding Krieger guilty of breaking all six articles, and he was sentenced to the death penalty through execution by firing squad.
[8] Late on 25 July 2024, Krieger appeared in a 17-minute-long plead titled "Confession of a German terrorist" on the state-run television Belarus-1 in a cleaned jailcell in handcuffs, apologizing for his actions and asking the Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko for a pardon.
[9] False statements made by Krieger in the plea, including that he had cooperated with the SBU for a payment of €2,000 (US$2,180), a sum below what he regularly earned in Germany, support this claim.
[2] According to Anatoly Glaz the state-run media Belarusian Telegraph Agency (BelTA), Belarus had "proposed a number of options" to free or lessen Krieger's sentencing to Germany.
[8][22] Speculation online suggested a prisoner swap likely was to take place by Germany to free Krieger, with imprisoned Russian FSB officer Vadim Krasikov a likely candidate.
[2][9][15] Actions like these led news agencies including the BBC, Politico Europe, and The Guardian to accuse Russia of artificially increasing the amount of western prisoners in their custody in order to negotiate a more profitable exchange.
[7] The move was praised by the German Ministry for Foreign Affairs[26] and human rights activist Andrei Paluda,[24] and also by Belarusian media for propaganda purposes, stating the pardon showcased Lukashenko's "wise and fair" judgment before an "unjustifiable" crime, and highlighted his "merciful" nature.
[27] Krieger specifically was exchanged for Vadim Krasikov as predicted, a decision 'not taken lightly' by the German government, and done in "cooperation with the United States and European partners".
[28] This goal was partially achieved later the same month, when Lukashenko on 16 August pardoned thirty other prisoners convicted of "protest-related crimes", in a decree published on 4 September.
[30] On 28 August 2024, the German Public Prosecutor General began an investigation against Krieger for allegedly causing the explosion in Belarus, a crime punishable under Section 308 of the Criminal Code of Germany "Strafgesetzbuch".
[30] In an interview with the German newspaper Welt am Sonntag in August 2024, Krieger affirmed his claims of innocence on the matter, stating he was told by Belarusian authorities, "'The only chance of saving your life is if you do exactly what we tell you.'
