Freed Russian Anti-War Politicians Trigger Backlash in Ukraine

Ukraine has reacted angrily to suggestions by freed Russian political prisoners to ease sanctions on ordinary Russians and for the two sides to sit down at the negotiating table.

The backlash to the first set of public comments by some of those released in last week's historic prisoner exchange -- including those who thought they might die in prison for opposing Moscow's invasion -- is a stark indication of the chasm between Kyiv and Russia's anti-war opposition.

"I no longer believe in any good Russians," said Ukrainian lawmaker Iryna Gerashchenko, who was part of a team that negotiated with Russia after Moscow-backed separatists took up arms in the east in 2014.

"My instincts were right," she added in a post on Telegram, criticising remarks by Russian opposition politicians Vladimir Kara-Murza and Ilya Yashin.

Kara-Murza, who was serving 25 years in prison on "treason" and other charges, had asked the West to consider whether its sanctions policy on Moscow was "unfair and counterproductive" as it hit ordinary Russian citizens, not just President Vladimir Putin and his elite.

Andriy Yermak, President Volodymyr Zelensky's chief of staff, was among those to hit back.

"The common goal of all Russians should be to liberate Russia from the insane dictator Putin and his regime, not to fight sanctions," he said.

"Sanctions should only be strengthened as long as Russia continues its armed aggression... Sanctions are what restrain the regime's military machine," he said.

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Ukrainian analysts said they feared the high-profile Russian dissidents had the ability to influence Western policy, creating tensions with Kyiv's position.

"It will be difficult to demand tougher sanctions when the symbols of Russian liberalism directly demand that sanctions for 'ordinary Russians' be eased," said Maria Zolkina, a research fellow at the London School of Economics.

Kara-Murza and others in the Russian opposition say blanket sanctions fuel the Kremlin's domestic propaganda.

- 'Fight for us' -

Ilya Yashin, released from an eight-and-a-half year sentence over condemning Russian forces' massacre at the Ukrainian town of Bucha, also triggered uproar with calls for Ukraine to enter into peace talks.

"It's necessary to sit down at the negotiating table," Yashin told Russia's independent TV Dozhd.

"I understand the frustration on the part of the Ukrainians when the issue is raised in this way, but... the situation has reached a stalemate, a bloody stalemate, with people dying on both sides."

Kyiv opposes direct negotiations with Moscow at the moment and has argued any ceasefire or pause in fighting will be used by Moscow to re-arm for another attack.

Amid an angry backlash in Ukraine, Yashin the next day reiterated his opposition to Russia's "criminal, barbaric" invasion of Ukraine in a two-hour YouTube video.

"I gave two years of my life for telling the truth about the war in Ukraine," he said, telling Ukrainians: "I am not your enemy."

The spat reveals how far opinions of Russia's opposition movement have changed in Ukraine over more than two years of war.

In February 2022, Zelensky had hoped a domestic anti-war fifth column could topple Putin or, at least, cause him to rethink his invasion.

A day after Moscow invaded, he addressed the thousands of Russians who had taken to the streets to protest the war.

"We see you. It means that you hear us ... Fight for us, fight against this war," he said in Russian.

- 'I need more information' -

After more than two years of war, there is now little sympathy in Ukraine for Russia's opposition, in particular their claims that there is a hidden groundswell of anti-invasion sentiment waiting to be unleashed.

While there is no doubting the anti-war credentials of the likes of Kara-Murza and Yashin, "they need to understand the genuineness of Ukrainian anger," said Sam Greene, Russian politics professor at King's College London.

"The nuances of the Russian opposition's arguments on sanctions and Russian public opinion cannot bring security to Ukraine, and Ukrainians justifiably worry that a focus on dreams of Russian democracy will distract from helping Ukraine win the war," he said in a post on X.

Responding to the criticism, Kara-Murza told the BBC "I need more information" and accepted that Russian society shared "responsibility for what the Putin regime is doing."

"Putin can't be allowed to win this war. Ukraine must win, and there should be more support from Western countries so that happens," he said.