15:41, 12 August 2020

Slovakia associates expulsion of three Russian diplomats with Khangoshvili's murder

Zelimkhan Khangoshvili. Photo: პოლიტიკა https://kronika.ge

Slovakia declared three Russian diplomats personae non gratae and expelled them from the country. The local authorities suggest that the diplomats worked for the secret services and were involved in the murder of Georgian citizen Zelimkhan Khangoshvili in Berlin.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that Zelimkhan Khangoshvili was killed in Berlin on August 23, 2019. A Russian citizen was detained on suspicion of Khangoshvili's murder. According to the German General Prosecutor's Office, the suspects got an order from the Russian authorities.

The first suspect in the murder of Zelimkhan Khangoshvili served at the FSB secret forces, The Insider, Bellingcat, and Der Spiegel reported. The information contradicts the earlier version about the involvement of Ramzan Kadyrov's associates in the murder. Relatives of Zelimkhan Khangoshvili believe that the Russian and Georgian secret services were interested in his murder.

The Russian Embassy in Bratislava declared that the version of Slovakia concerning the reason for the expulsion of the Russian diplomats looks unworthy and unprofessional, the "Lenta.ru" reports.

According to the General Prosecutor's Office of Germany, the man accused of Zelimkhan Khangoshvili's murder lived in Germany as a refugee, while in 2000-2004, he fought against the Russian federal troops. Vladimir Putin declared Zelimkhan Khangoshvili to be one of the organizers of the bombings in the Moscow metro. Members of the Chechen Diaspora in Europe associated Zelimkhan Khangoshvili's murder with the activities of the Russian secret services.

This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on August 12, 2020 at 05:50 am MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.