On August 1, 2024 in Moscow’s Vnukovo International Airport, President Vladimir Putin of Russia embraced one Artyom Dultsev, a Russian citizen who got out of jail as part of an exchange with the West. REUTERS/ Mikhail Voskresensky/Sputnik POOL ATTENTION EDITORS – THIS IMAGE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY.
President Vladimir Putin walked down the red carpet shielded by two rows of soldiers carrying guns and warmly greeted intelligence agents released during the biggest prisoner swap with Western countries since the Cold War era.
“Not a single minute has Russia forgotten about you,” each one was comforted by Mr. Putin after alighting from their jet onto the tarmac.
Mr. Putin does not visit airports to meet foreign heads of state these days if ever; hence his coming there today had a clear message: “if you are caught we shall bring you back to Motherland”.
For Kremlin, which is situated in Russia’s capital city Moscow, it could be said that Krasikov was probably the most important component in its plan for exchanging eight Russians for sixteen Westerners and Russian dissidents imprisoned recently.
Moscow has freed several top dissidents along with former United States Marine Paul Whelan, Evan Gershkovich and Alsu Kurmasheva American reporters.
According to Tatyana Stanovaya ,a senior fellow at Carnegie Russia Eurasia Centre: “What Putin is saying is that people working abroad should feel fully protected and that if they get arrested then the state will fight for their return and roll out the red carpet.”
She stated that this agreement was perceived differently among Russians and Westerners.
“The USA only cares when it comes to humanitarian aspects or political significance followed by media,” she said Ms. Stanovaya told The Associated Press. “But in Russia it is not a matter of society but rather a matter for government.”
“By including Krasikov in this deal, Putin has indicated his determination to secure the return of imprisoned Russian spies,” said Nigel Gould-Davies, a senior fellow for Russia and Eurasia at International Institute for Strategic Studies based in London.
He further stated that it was the Russian leader’s “determination to get Krasikov back, which was absolutely critical” as far as this swap is concerned.
The Russians have released twice as many people as they have taken from the West in what Gould-Davies called an “exception from previous swaps that had strict parity or better.”
Sometimes Mr. Putin can agree to unequal exchanges if he wants.
In exchange for over 200 Ukrainians and foreigners confined by Russia, Ukraine agreed to free dozens of other people including jailed opposition leader Viktor Medved chuk whom Vladimir Putin personally knew back in September 2022.
According to him, it may be that Thursday’s swap was driven by Putin’s deep personal loyalty to former-KGB agents.
“He now values his spies so much that he would make an unfavorable exchange,” said Mr. Gould-Davies.
According to Abbas Gallyamov, a former speech writer for Putin and a political analyst, he described the exchange as an attempt to show Russian agents working abroad that he was their father and hence should be loyal to him.
“Putin showed himself as the father of all his spies, murderers and others. This is important to ensure that they remain loyal,” Gallyamov said.
The deputy head of the Putin-led Security Council Dmitry Medvedev stated on his messaging app channel that while “it would be desirable to see Russia’s traitors rot behind bars … it’s better to get our men out.”
Ominously, this enemy of the West declared that “the traitors should now frantically be choosing new names and hiding under witness protection programs.”
Russian authorities had released people such as Vladimir Kara-Murza whose 25 years prison sentence has been widely criticized as politically motivated; Ilya Yashin who was jailed for criticizing Ukrainian war; associates of late opposition figure Alexei Navalny; and Oleg Orlov who is veteran human rights defender among others.
Although there are those who hope that these activists will revive the country’s fragmented and ailing opposition which has not had a charismatic leader ever since Navalny died, some believe formidable obstacles lie ahead.
Stanovaya says it would be difficult for them to make themselves heard in Russia where its majority citizens do not have access to independent media with liberal views largely confined only within narrow segments of society.
According to her prediction, Kremlin will present them as being pro-Western, particularly Kara-Murza who holds dual citizenship (Russia-British) and advocated for sanctions against Moscow.
Moreover, Gallyamov also did not think that release of these activists posed any great danger from the perspective of Kremlin.
“The Kremlin doesn’t have any more problems with the freed opposition figures”, – added Galyamov noting that messages sent by Yashin et al. from prison created more sympathy and interest than they did. “Kremlin wins in this deal”.
