Russian Opposition Politician Released in East-West Prisoner Swap Vows to Continue Anti-War Efforts

In a live stream on Sunday, Russian opposition politician Ilya Yashin thanked his supporters and vowed to continue promoting his anti-war position to people in Russia after being released in a recent East-West prisoner swap.

Yashin, a former member of a Moscow municipal council and a prominent Kremlin critic, had been serving an eight-and-a-half-year sentence for criticizing Russia’s war in Ukraine. He was one of the few well-known opposition activists to stay in Russia since the war.

In his live stream, Yashin expressed his gratitude to his supporters, stating that the 30,000 letters and postcards he received during his more than two years in prison were a source of strength. "You have no idea how important that is and how empowering it was. It was literally my source of strength, because not a single day in prison did I feel abandoned, forgotten, or alone," he said.

Yashin also spoke out about the details of the prisoner swap, saying that two more Russian dissidents should have been released under the deal. "The Russian side deceived, betrayed their counterparts in the negotiations, leaving (Russian opposition activist Alexei) Gorinov and (associate of late Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny, Daniel) Kholodny actually hostage," he said.

In addition, Yashin discussed the conflict with Ukraine with a German government representative and warned that Russian President Vladimir Putin won’t stop even if he wins. "If you allow Putin to devour Ukraine now, he will 100% move on. There are no illusions," he said.

This article is based on reporting from Ilya Yashin’s live stream and additional sources, including AP.

Additional sources: AP