What Became Of The German Hostage Of Lukashenka’s Regime?

An investigation against him is still ongoing in Germany.

Political analyst Alexander Friedman writes that after the major prisoner exchange in early August 2024, German citizen Rico Krieger quickly disappeared from media attention.

Now, the publication Die Welt decided to find out what became of him and spoke directly with Krieger — the man who, in Minsk, was accused of cooperating with the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) and the Kastus Kalinouski Regiment, and of attempting a terrorist attack allegedly ordered by Ukrainian intelligence. At the time, he was sentenced to death, later pardoned, and exchanged.

It turned out that Krieger is once again working as a paramedic — just as he did before his mysterious trip to Belarus — now in southern Germany. Despite the high demand for specialists in his field, finding a job proved difficult: many employers were deterred by his past.

Full normalization has not yet been achieved. The Federal Prosecutor's Office continues to investigate Krieger in connection with the explosion at the Ozerishche station. If the case goes to trial, he could face prison time — from several months to several years.

While investigators refrain from commenting, Krieger himself insists on his innocence. According to him, he knew nothing about the planned explosion. He claims that his confessions on Belarusian TV were made under duress: otherwise, he says, the death sentence might have been carried out.

An interesting detail: Krieger’s lawyer is one of the key figures of the Left Party — 77-year-old Gregor Gysi, the oldest member of the current Bundestag. During the GDR era, Gysi defended dissidents, although after 1989 he was repeatedly accused of cooperating with the East German secret police, the Stasi.

If anyone in today’s Germany can understand the methods of the KGB and appreciate what Krieger endured in Belarus, it would be Gregor Gysi. But that is already another story.

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