Netherlands – The Moscow Times, August 09, 2024
On Aug. 1, 2024, my friend and colleague Vladimir Kara-Murza finally walked free from prison as part of the largest prisoner swap since the Cold War. This swap saw 24 individuals swapped, with 16 released by the Russians, and 8 released by the United States and other allies.
Seeing Vladimir reunited with his wife, Evgenia, and their three children has been a heartwarming moment for all involved.
However, unsurprisingly Kremlin propagandists immediately started portraying the swap as a great Western failure. Nothing is further from the truth – this swap, in my view, has exemplified more than ever before the stark differences between Vladimir Putin’s regime and the West. The idea that the swap is a victory for Russia is a classic example of propaganda and spin, masking the fact that it is a significant diplomatic win for the West.
The West received prominent individuals of great moral and strategic value: human rights activists, journalists arrested for the supposed crime of honest reporting on Putin’s Russia, and critics supporting a free and democratic future for the country. These individuals represent the principles of free speech, human rights, and democratic opposition to despotism.
In stark contrast, Russia received murderers, spies and criminals in return.
Now that Vladimir is out of prison, I keep getting asked what comes next. The answer is simple. The job is not done yet.
First and foremost, we must redouble our efforts to support the political prisoners left behind in Russia. While the release of Kara-Murza and others is cause for celebration, countless individuals remain unjustly detained including opposition politician Alexei Gorinov, 63-year-old U.S. citizen Marc Fogel, Ksenia Khavana (who is facing a 15-year sentence for treason for donating $50 to a Ukrainian charity) and many more.
