Russia's Medvedev threatens exchanged political prisoners

Former Kremlin leader Dmitry Medvedev issued threats on Sunday to former Russian political prisoners who were released into exile as part of a prisoner exchange with the West.

Medvedev called the opposition figures "traitors" who "pose an existential threat to today's Russia," in a post on Telegram.

"They should not forget the transience of their existence in this world," he said.

Medvedev, who now serves as deputy head of the Russian Security Council, advised them to always look around with caution.

The Russian politicians and activists released in the deal include Vladimir Kara-Mursa, Ilya Yashin and Oleg Orlov.

In return, Moscow received a number of convicted criminals, including the secret service agent and assassin Vadim Krasikov, who was in prison in Germany for murder.

Krasikov had shot dead a Chechen separatist who was born in Georgia in a Berlin park in broad daylight in 2019, presumably on state orders.

President Vladimir Putin greeted Krasikov and several Russian spies released from Western detention on their arrival in Moscow.

Medvedev contended that Russia had made the better deal in the exchange, given that those who returned to Moscow had worked for the Russian state and were "patriots of their homeland."

Russia, on the other hand, had handed over not only what Medvedev called spies and criminal foreigners but also prisoners who Medvedev claimed hated their Russian homeland and wanted to destroy it.

An overall 26 people were freed in the prisoner exchange. Moscow released 16 people - including US journalist Evan Gershkovich and former marine Paul Whelan - in return for 10 Russian citizens.