03 September 2021, 08:53
Court interested in interview of witness in Khangoshvili's case
The interview of Alexander Vodorez, a prosecution witness, will be announced at the trial of the murder of Zelimkhan Khangoshvili, since Vodorez's testimony in court differs from what he told reporters.
The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that on July 29, 2021, Alexander V., a businessman from Kharkov and the husband of Vadim Krasikov's sister, stated in the Berlin court that Krasikov had worked for a "sabotage unit of the Russian Armed Forces." The person accused of assassinating Khangoshvili looked like Krasikov, Alexander stated being unable to confidently identify the man. However, later he said in his interview with The Insider*, Bellingcat and Der Spiegel that his reluctance to identify in court Vadim Krasikov, an officer of the Russian special services as the person accused of killing Zelimkhan Khangoshvili was caused by his fears for personal safety.
Zelimkhan Khangoshvili was killed in Berlin on August 23, 2019. One of the two detainees was charged with the murder and arms trafficking. According to the German Prosecutor's Office, the defendant "acted on behalf of the Russian government" and committed the murder either for a reward or because he shared the customer's motives.
At the regular court session on Khangoshvili's case, the main attention was paid to an article in Der Spiegel with the interview of the above witness from Kharkov, Inga Shultz, an advocate of the Khangoshvili family, told the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent. "There was a lot of controversy about the article published in Der Spiegel. The defence believes that the witness Alexander Vodorez from Kharkov was unconvincing. We, as co-claimants, have objected stating that the witness had made it clear during his testimony at the main hearing that he was afraid of testimony. The chairman of the criminal court eventually announced that the interview would be read out at court. Parts thereof should be considered at the next court session on September 8," said the advocate.
This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on September 2, 2021 at 10:00 pm MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.
Author: Anastasia Kirilenko Source: CK correspondent
