Was Navalny about to be released before his death?

…talks were underway for his release in a prisoner exchange before his untimely death.

Alexey Navalny, an opponent of the Kremlin, died in a penal colony in the Arctic, where he was serving a 19-year sentence on charges widely regarded as political.

A Navalny ally reveals that exchange talks were in the final stages.

According to sources, Navalny and two US nationals detained in Russia were being considered in the proposed exchange.

This statement raises questions about the alleged composition of the list, given the incarceration of several Americans in Russia under contentious circumstances.

The presence of Wall Street Journal journalist Evan Gershkovich, accused of espionage, and Michigan security official Paul Whelan, also convicted of espionage, is plausible.

Russian President Vladimir Putin expressed his willingness to negotiate, without mentioning any specific names, but apparently alluding to a Russian national detained in Germany and sentenced to life imprisonment since 2019.

No concrete evidence has been provided to support these claims.

The German authorities have refused to divulge any information about the Russian prisoner in custody and any possible exchange talks.