German Justice Minister Marco Buschmann has issued a strong warning against traveling to Russia following last week's prisoner exchange.
In an interview with Stern, as reported by dpa, Buschmann emphasized the growing dangers of visiting Russia.
"No one has felt safe in Russia for a long time," he stated. "And I strongly advise against going to a country where no one is safe unless absolutely necessary."
Buschmann expressed concern that Russian President Vladimir Putin might detain more foreigners to increase the number of political prisoners.
Commenting on the recent prisoner exchange, Buschmann admitted that he had serious doubts until the last moment about whether the Russian Federation would honor its part of the agreement.
"Even when the plane carrying the freed prisoners landed at Cologne/Bonn Airport, there was still uncertainty on the German side," he added.
The minister voiced concerns about the Russian FSB’s use of poison "to deliberately harm the life or health of individuals."
"My greatest fear was that Russia might have poisoned the prisoners before the flight. But, based on what we know at this time, thank God, that does not appear to be the case," Buschmann said.
Last Thursday, a prisoner exchange involving 24 individuals took place in Turkey, with the participation of six Western countries, including the USA and Germany, as well as Russia. The negotiations that led to this significant exchange spanned more than two years.
As part of the comprehensive exchange, Russia and Belarus released 16 people, while 10 individuals were handed over to Moscow, including convicted murderer Vadym Krasikov, who had been held in Germany, along with spies and two minor children of Russian operatives.
Among the released German citizens were Rico Krieger, who had been sentenced to death in Belarus, and four other men detained in Russia.
