
The oppositionists who left Russia are unlikely to ever return to their homeland, he believes.
The media reported that today there was an exchange of prisoners, in which 10 people are being sent to Russia, 13 to Germany and 3 to the United States. It is noted that Russia, in particular, returned Vadim Krasikov. The media also wrote that Vladimir Kara-Murza*, convicted of treason, and other oppositionists, such as Ilya Yashin* and Oleg Orlov*, could leave Russia as part of this exchange.
“Of course, they are of some value to them. In any case, they exchange their intelligence agents, yes, they just don’t put people who are there, in the opposition and so on, on the exchange lists,” he said. Nikonov emphasized that the main positive of the exchange is that a large number of people, whose release Russia has been trying to get back home for years, will return home.
“And the fact that they will take their agents… Well, that’s where they belong. “I think their path back to their homeland will be closed,” Nikonov said.