Man freed in Russia prisoner swap vows to return

A dissident freed by Russia successful the biggest captive swap since the Cold War has vowed to instrumentality to the state 1 day.

Vladimir Kara-Murza told the BBC helium initially thought helium was being "led retired to beryllium executed" erstwhile situation officers arrived to get him successful Siberia past month.

It was lone aft being moved to Moscow that the dual British-Russian national realised helium was 1 of 24 prisoners to beryllium freed successful the exchange - including a Kremlin deed man.

But successful his archetypal associated interrogation with his woman Evgenia successful Europe since they reunited, helium defiantly reveals connected Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg that helium plans to instrumentality to Russia.

“When our level was taking disconnected from Vnukovo airdrome successful Moscow en way to Ankara connected 1 August, the FSB [Russian Federal Security Service] serviceman who was my idiosyncratic escort sitting adjacent to maine turned to maine and said, 'Look retired the window, this is the past clip you're seeing your motherland'," helium told me.

"And I conscionable laughed successful his face, and I said, 'Look, man, I americium a historian, I don’t conscionable think, I don’t conscionable believe, I cognize that I’ll beryllium backmost location successful Russia, and it’s going to hap overmuch sooner than you tin imagine'.”

Mr Kara-Murza, 1 of the Kremlin’s astir vocal critics, was held successful solitary confinement successful a precocious information jailhouse after receiving a 25-year condemnation successful April 2023 connected charges of precocious treason.

Recalling the days earlier the immense Russia-West captive swap, helium said: “I was dormant and abruptly the doors to my situation compartment burst unfastened and a radical of situation officers barged in.

"I was woken up, I saw that it was dark, I asked what clip it was, they said 3am. And they told maine to get up and get acceptable successful 10 minutes.

"And astatine that moment, I was perfectly definite that I was being led retired to beryllium executed.

"But alternatively of the adjacent wood, they took maine to the airport, handcuffed with a situation convoy, boarded maine connected a level and flew maine to Moscow.”

Wall Street Journal newsman Evan Gershkovich and erstwhile US Marine Paul Whelan were besides released by Russia successful the exchange.

In the West, Russian information work hitman Vadim Krasikov was freed by Germany on with others elsewhere accused of quality activities.

The US, Norway, Poland and Slovenia besides participated successful what was the biggest swap since the Cold War betwixt the West and Russia ended much than 30 years ago.

On Friday, Mr Kara-Murza met premier curate Sir Keir Starmer and Foreign Secretary David Lammy - and helium is present urging Western governments to springiness stronger backing to Ukraine.

He is pushing for the merchandise of thousands of different governmental prisoners who are inactive being held successful Putin’s jails.

In their interview, to beryllium broadcast connected BBC One connected Sunday astatine 9am, helium and his woman speech astir their reunion, their household and the infinitesimal they tasted freedom.

Mrs Kara Murza talks of her “immense joy” astatine having her hubby backmost and seeing him with their 3 children.

"Having survived 2 assassination attempts and present this situation sentence, including eleven months successful solitary confinement successful horrendous conditions, he’s yet again live and comparatively steadfast with us," she said.

Watch the afloat interrogation connected Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg connected BBC One and iPlayer astatine 9am.