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Putin critic Vladimir Kara-Murza recalls 'longest day of his life' after historic prisoner swap between Russia and West
14 November 2024, 19:12 | Updated: 14 November 2024, 20:15
'One of the bravest men I've ever met': Andrew Marr speaks to released Russian prisoner Vladimir Kara-Murza
Putin critic Vladimir Kara-Murza has recalled the 'longest day of his life' after a historic prisoner swap between Russia and the West.
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Speaking to LBC's Tonight with Andrew Marr, Mr Kara-Murza reflected on the moment he found out he was being released from prison and his reunion with loved ones.
In April 2023, the Russian-British former journalist was sentenced to 25 years in jail, due to him being critical of the war in Ukraine.
But less than a year and a half later, he was released as part of a historic prisoner exchange between Russia and the West - the biggest since the end of the Cold War.
"That was the longest day of my life - August 1, 2024," Mr Kara-Murza told Andrew.
"It started in the morning, when the deputy director of the prison came into my cell. A few prison guards brought my bags from storage.
"He told me to take off my prison uniform and put on whatever civilian clothes that I had. The only civilian clothes I had were my black t-shirt – in which I slept – my long-johns because it was -40C in winter and the rubber flip flops that I used to go into the prison shower."
Read more: Putin opponent Vladimir Kara-Murza sentenced to 25 years in jail in Russia for treason
He went on to describe the chilling warning he received from a Russian FSB officer on the brink of his release, with his captor noting: "Don't you think that you'll be safe over there, Krasikov can come for you too".
The haunting words came ahead of the culmination of the prisoner exchange, which saw the United States and Germany negotiate his freedom earlier this summer.
Recounting his final day in captivity, Mr Kara-Murza said he was then escorted in flip-flops to the prison courtyard, which was full of FSB officers and friends and other political colleagues who had been serving time in prison.
"It was at that moment, and at that moment only, that I understood what was happening," he said.
"There could only be one reason why all of us would be on the same bus together."
He continued: "We arrived in Ankara, the actual exchange taking place on the tarmac in a military zone in the airport."
The group were then taken to a government building with "a big reception room with a long table with tea, coffee sandwiches, cookies".
"Things just couldn’t get more surreal," he said.
"I was still wearing my t-shirt, long johns and rubber flip flops - and just to underscore how surreal that day was, that same evening, I’ll be meeting with Chancellor Olaf Scholz wearing that same t-shirt, long-johns and rubber flip flops."
Mr Kara-Murza was then approached by a woman who handed him a phone, saying "the president of the United States is waiting to speak with you".
"At that moment, I just thought I'm just going to give up trying to understand what is happening here," he said.
He continued: "I spoke to him, I thanked him for what had happened, and then he passed the phone to my wife and children who were with him in the Oval Office."
Having not been allowed to speak to his family at all while he was locked up, Mr Kara-Murza said there were no words "in any of the languages I know" to describe the feeling of hearing their voices in that moment.
Despite everything he went through, he said he has "no doubt" that he will return to Russia in the future as it will always be his home.
"I don't only believe, I know that I'm going to be back home in Russia," he told an FSB officer as he left his homeland. "And it's going to be much sooner than you can ever imagine."
