Despite "great desire to return", Russian oppositionists are determined to continue working in exile
After the prisoner exchange between Russia and the West, opposition figures brought to Germany say they will reluctantly continue their work in exile. "As people who were actually deported, thrown out of the country, we all have the great desire to return," said Russian dissident Andrei Pivovarov in an interview with Reuters TV on Saturday. But for him, it's clear that the authorities under President Vladimir Putin would not let him back into the country. "I have no intention of stepping aside," said Pivovarov. However, coordinating work within Russia is impossible. Ilya Yashin expressed similar sentiments.
Pivovarov and Yashin are part of a group of dissidents who were released on Thursday in the largest prisoner exchange between Russia, Belarus, and Western countries, led by Germany and the US. A total of 24 prisoners were released and deported on both sides. Several of those released by Russia were imprisoned due to their work as Western journalists or Russian opposition politicians. Meanwhile, those imprisoned in the West included Russian intelligence officers, including Vadim Krasikov, who was convicted for a political murder in Berlin's Tiergarten.
"I've said several times that I don't want to be on any exchange lists," said Yashin. "Kremlin representatives gladly included my name because for them, my exchange is actually an expulsion." His place is in Russia. "I've dedicated my life to my country." He wants to continue opposing the Russian-led war in Ukraine and helping political prisoners.
Following the deaths of several dissidents in Russia, Pivovarov, Yashin, and Vladimir Kara-Murza, who was also brought to Germany, are among the most prominent figures in the Russian opposition. Opposition leader Alexei Navalny, who was also brought to Germany after a poisoning in Russia, returned to his homeland and was immediately imprisoned. He died in custody in February.
Belarusian opponents of President Alexander Lukashenko have largely settled in the neighboring country of Lithuania. Among the leading Belarusian opposition figures is politician Svetlana Tikhanovskaya.
Pivovarov, being a Russian dissident, acknowledged his desire to return to his homeland, but understands the implications of doing so under President Vladimir Putin's rule. Yashin, another prominent Russian opposition figure, expressed his unwillingness to be exchanged, viewing it as an expulsion, and his commitment to continue opposing the Russian-led war in Ukraine and aiding political prisoners from his position in exile.
