Russian opposition politician Alexei Navalny was close to being released in a prisoner swap at the time of his death, Navalny’s aide Maria Pevchih said on Monday, repeating accusations that President Vladimir Putin ordered his assassination, Reuters and Agerpres reported.

In a statement posted on YouTube, Pevchih said negotiations to exchange Navalny and two unidentified American citizens for Vadym Krasikov, an FSB assassin jailed in Germany, were in the final stages at the time of his death.

47-year-old Navalny died in a penal colony in the Arctic on February 16. The Kremlin denies Russia’s involvement in his death. Navalny’s death certificate states that the opponent, according to his supporters, died of natural causes.

This version was supported by the head of the Intelligence Service of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine Kyrylo Budanov.

Maria Pevchih did not name the two American citizens who will be exchanged for Navalny, but the United States previously said it was trying to secure the release of Evan Hershkovich, a Wall Street Journal journalist, and Paul Velan, a former Marine, Reuters notes.

“He could be sitting in that chair right now”

“Aleksii Navalny could sit in this chair right now, right today. This is not a figure of speech, it could and should have happened,” Pevchih said.

“Navalny was supposed to leave in the coming days, as we received a decision to release him in exchange. In early February, Putin was asked to allow an exchange between the killer, FSB officer Vadym Krasikov, who is serving a sentence in Berlin, and two American citizens and Oleksiy Navalny,” she added.

She also said she had confirmation that negotiations for the exchange were in the final stages on the evening of February 15.

According to her, Navalny was killed a day later because Putin could not bear the thought that he could be free.

“American and German officials nodded”

Maria Pevchih also said that since the beginning of the war in Ukraine, Navalny’s associates tried to take him out of Russia as part of a prisoner exchange involving “Russian spies for political prisoners.”

She added that she had made desperate efforts and tried to find mediators, even reaching out to the late diplomat Henry Kissinger, but said Western governments had not shown the necessary political will.

“American and German officials nodded in agreement. They said how important it is to help Navalny and political prisoners, they shook our hands, promised and did nothing,” she added.

A German government spokesman said Monday during a press conference that the German executive is aware of reports of a planned prisoner exchange for the release of Alexei Navalny, but clarified that he could not comment on the information at this time.