A prominent Russian dissident, recently released in the largest prisoner exchange since the Cold War, has declared his intent to return to Russia one day.
Vladimir Kara-Murza, a dual British-Russian citizen, recounted a harrowing experience before his release, thinking he was being taken for execution when prison officials removed him from his solitary confinement in Siberia last month.
It was only upon arriving in Moscow that he realized he was among 24 individuals being freed in the exchange, which included a notorious Kremlin-affiliated hitman.
In a recent interview conducted in Europe alongside his wife, Evgenia, Kara-Murza expressed his determination to go back to Russia, emphasizing his belief that he will return sooner than expected.
“As our plane took off from Moscow’s Vnukovo airport on August 1, the FSB officer escorting me leaned in and said, ‘Look out the window, this is the last time you’ll see your motherland’,” Kara-Murza recalled. “I laughed and replied, ‘I am a historian; I know I’ll be back home in Russia, and it will happen much sooner than you can imagine’.”
Kara-Murza, known as a fierce critic of the Kremlin, had been sentenced to 25 years in prison in April 2023 on charges of high treason, during which he endured solitary confinement.
“I Thought I Was Being Executed”
Reflecting on his final days in captivity, he described a shocking wake-up call when prison officers abruptly entered his cell in the early hours. “When they came in at 3 AM, I was sure I was being led away for execution,” he revealed.
“Instead of facing a grim fate in the woods, I found myself on a plane to Moscow,” he added, unveiling the dramatic nature of his release.
Notably, the prisoner swap not only saw Kara-Murza released but also included Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich and former US Marine Paul Whelan.
In exchange, Russia secured the release of a hitman, Vadim Krasikov, from Germany along with other operatives.
This monumental exchange involved collaboration from several nations, including the US, Norway, Poland, and Slovenia, marking a significant diplomatic occurrence since the end of the Cold War over three decades ago.
Recently, Kara-Murza met with prominent Western leaders, including the UK Prime Minister, and is advocating for increased support for Ukraine, while working to secure the release of many political prisoners still detained under Putin’s regime.
The couple’s interview will air soon, showcasing their touching reunion and address Kara-Murza’s survival after facing multiple assassination attempts and the hardships of his imprisonment, including eleven months in solitary confinement.
Evgenia Kara-Murza expressed deep gratitude for their reunion with their children, celebrating her husband’s resilience and health following such dire circumstances.
