Vladimir Kara-Murza thought he would die in Russian prison

His joy at his release in the prisoner swap is marred by thoughts of Russian detainees still in jail.

British Broadcasting CorporationWatchHomeNewsSportBusinessInnovationCultureTravelEarthVideoLiveHomeNewsIsrael-Gaza WarWar in UkraineUS ElectionUS & CanadaUKUK PoliticsEnglandN. IrelandN. Ireland PoliticsScotlandScotland PoliticsWalesWales PoliticsAfricaAsiaChinaIndiaAustraliaEuropeLatin AmericaMiddle EastIn PicturesBBC VerifySportBusinessExecutive LoungeTechnology of BusinessWomen at the HelmFuture of BusinessInnovationTechnologyScience & HealthArtificial IntelligenceAI v the MindCultureFilm & TVMusicArt & DesignStyleBooksEntertainment NewsTravelDestinationsAfricaAntarcticaAsiaAustralia and PacificCaribbean & BermudaCentral AmericaEuropeMiddle EastNorth AmericaSouth AmericaWorld’s TableCulture & ExperiencesAdventuresThe SpeciaListEarthNatural WondersWeather & ScienceClimate SolutionsSustainable BusinessGreen LivingVideoLiveLive NewsLive SportHomeNewsSportBusinessInnovationCultureTravelEarthVideoLiveAudioWeatherNewslettersRussian dissident tells BBC he thought he would die in 'Putin's prison'BBC“I was absolutely certain I would die in Putin’s prison.”

It’s almost the first thing Vladimir Kara-Murza tells me after his surprise release in the biggest prisoner exchange since the Cold War.

The Russian opposition politician is painfully thin – from stress, he says. He’s also still reeling from his abrupt transfer from a high security jail in Siberia into forced exile, after more than two years behind bars.

“It’s surreal, like I’m watching a film,” he describes the feeling. “But it’s a good film,” in which he’s finally been reunited with the family he hasn’t seen since his arrest in Moscow in April 2022.

His youngest son has been following him everywhere, anxious not to let him out of his sight.

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/crg55g4z526o

---