Putin’s pawns

On 1 August 2024, the West handed over a group of prisoners consisting of murderers, spies and smugglers to Russia in exchange for a group of political prisoners that had been languishing in Russian penal institutions in the largest ever swap of its kind. More than a year later, there are still over 1,500 political prisoners in Russian jails, many of whom are seriously ill or even dying. Others have elderly parents or young children they haven’t seen for years. The Memorial Human Rights Centre and Russian human rights NGO OVD-Info frequently update the list of political prisoners in the country.

However, what fewer people know is that there are also dozens of people convicted, charged or suspected of crimes committed in the interests of the Kremlin being held in Western prisons. Below, Novaya Gazeta Europe is publishing a list of 30 Russian prisoners who could potentially be exchanged for those being held on political charges in Russia. This incomplete list includes:

• a man who killed Lithuanian border guards;
• “real” spies whose stories sound like something from the Cold War;
• gifted hackers who have caused damage worth millions of dollars;
• well-connected smugglers and businessmen who have breached sanctions to keep Putin’s military-industrial complex supplied;
• saboteurs and arsonists who have endangered the lives of ordinary people;
• “agents of influence”, agitators for the “Russian world” and public supporters of the Kremlin who have justified its actions.

The people on the list have been convicted or are facing charges in Canada, Estonia, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Sweden and the US.

The sentences handed down to those on the list are fair according to the law of the respective countries. However, given Russia’s persecution of patently innocent people, the politically motivated arrests, trumped up charges, and inhumane detention by the authorities, a choice needs to be made between the letter of the law and being humane.

We therefore call for prioritising humane outcomes for Putin’s prisoners over formal justice for those convicted in Western countries, even in cases that involve particularly serious crimes.

The risk posed to the democratic countries that convicted these prisoners if released would be minimal, and as they would all be deported to Russia after their release, they would be unable to continue their criminal activities, after all. As political repression in Russia is only intensifying, time is of the essence.

We hereby urge European and American leaders to take a humane stance and begin efforts to exchange the people on this list for Russian political prisoners for whom, whether due to health, family or other reasons, imprisonment has become tantamount to torture. 

The list covers at least eight democratic countries, meaning any exchange would require a coordinated diplomatic effort. But if successful, it would allow countries that prioritise defending human rights above all else to demonstrate their solidarity with Russian political prisoners and to showcase their gift for teamwork.

We call on the media, activists and NGOs to support this campaign, which anyone can announce their support for, either by press release, contacting a relevant media outlet or writing to their government representatives.