Opposition figures Ilya Yashin, Vladimir Kara-Murza, and Andrei Pivovarov, who were part of the recent prisoner exchange between Russia and the West, held a press conference in Bonn, Germany at the office of German news agency Deutsche Welle. During the conference, they expressed their gratitude for being released and emphasized the importance of saving the lives of their friends who were also political prisoners.
A total of 24 prisoners were exchanged in Ankara, Turkey, after negotiations between Moscow, Washington, and other Western governments, including Germany. Among the released Russian nationals were Oleg Orlov, Lilia Chanysheva, Ksenia Fadeyeva, Vadim Ostanin, Sasha Skochilenko, as well as Herman Moyzhes and Kevin Lik, who are dual Russian-German citizens.
On the other side, Moscow received eight of its citizens, including Vadim Krasikov, an FSB operative sentenced to life in Germany for the killing of a former Chechen rebel in 2019. The released opposition figures like Yashin expressed mixed feelings about being part of the exchange, stating that it was not their intention to leave Russia and that they considered the transfer to be illegal.
Despite the challenges and threats they faced, Yashin, Kara-Murza, and Pivovarov thanked everyone who supported them and expressed hope to continue their work as opposition figures, even outside of Russia. The release and exchange of political prisoners mark a significant event in the ongoing political situation between Russia and the West.
