Russia transfers dissident Kara-Murza, other political prisoners amid speculation of US-Russia prisoner swap
Russian prison officials said on July 31 that Vladimir Kara-Murza, a jailed Russian journalist and opposition figure, was being moved from the penal colony where he was held to an uncertain destination.
Kara-Murza, a Washington Post contributing columnist, who has condemned Russia's full-scale war against Ukraine and lobbied for Western sanctions against Moscow, was sentenced to 25 years in prison in April 2023. He is part of a growing contingent of dissenters detained amid President Vladimir Putin's increasingly severe political crackdown.
Officials from Russia’s penitentiary service informed Reuters that Kara-Murza was being transferred from the IK-6 colony in Omsk, Siberia, without disclosing his new location. Despite Kara-Murza's poor health, his lawyer, Vadim Prokhorov, reported that the defense team had been unable to access their client at an Omsk hospital for two consecutive days.
Prokhorov’s statement has fueled growing speculation among lawyers, prisoners’ relatives, and journalists that the United States, Germany, and possibly other countries are preparing for a significant prisoner swap with Russia.
This week, at least seven other political prisoners in Russia, including opposition figures Ilya Yashin, Lilia Chanysheva, and Ksenia Fadeeva, as well as activist Oleg Orlov and artist Alexandra Skochilenko, have disappeared from the colonies where they were being held.
Lawyers have described this as an extremely unusual move. In addition to Kara-Murza, two more prisoners were reported missing on July 31, bringing the total number suddenly out of communication to 10.
Prokhorov said that Kara-Murza is scheduled to appear in court on Aug. 1, but it is uncertain if the hearing will take place. Hospital administrators have not confirmed that Kara-Murza has been moved.
Kateryna Denisova
