TESTIMONY. “In Russia, political changes can happen in the blink of an eye,” says Russian opposition leader Vladimir Kara-Murza

He is one of the most important Russian political prisoners of recent years. Free for a month, Vladimir Kara-Murza has been in Paris for a few days. He spoke to other Russians in exile and met Emmanuel Macron on Monday evening.

Vladimir Kara-Mourza begins “a third life”who survived two poisoning attempts and then the worst prisons of Vladimir Putin. Sentenced in Russia in April 2023 to 25 years in prison for speaking freely about the war in Ukraine, Vladimir Kara-Mourza, 43, was part of the largest prisoner exchange between Russia and Western countries since the Cold War on August 1. Sixteen people detained in Russia and Belarus were thus released, in exchange for eight Russian prisoners, including spies.

But the opponent, who remained in isolation for two and a half years, has lost none of his freedom of speech. “We must not forget those who are in prison in Russia and Belarus”says Vladimir Kara-Mourza.

“It is unacceptable that in Europe, in the 21st century, people are in prison with harsher sentences than murderers, simply for saying what they think!”

Vladimir Kara-Murza

to franceinfo

The journalist and historian is convinced that sooner or later, the current regime will collapse. “We know very well and our history attests to this, that in Russia, political changes can happen in the blink of an eye. When no one is waiting, when no one is ready, and when people think it is impossible. And that is what is going to happen with the Putin regime.”

This polyglot – who learned Spanish in his cell “to not go crazy” – continues, in perfect French: “What could be worse than a dictator and a murderer with a nuclear bomb destroying a peaceful country in the middle of Europe killing civilians and children? What could be worse than that?”

Amid applause, Vladimir Kara-Murza calls on the Russian opposition to unite. He has just met with former prisoner and oligarch Mikhail Khodorkovsky, and with Alexei Navalny’s widow, Yulia Navalnaia. “It’s all togetherhe said, that one day perhaps we will be able to raise Russia from its ashes.”