Former Kremlin master Vladimir Putin’s competitor admitted to CNN journalists in Paris that after 40 years in Russian politics, he realized it was a “three-day matter.” After that, he probably would no longer have had the opportunity to leave Russia.
“Usually, when you get to that place, you receive an indictment, go to court, and after the court – to prison: Lefortovo,” he explained, referring to the harshest Moscow prison, notorious for brutal treatment of dissidents and political prisoners.
He left his family in Russia, and on the day he met with the journalist, his daughter’s wedding was taking place.
“The good news is that I am alive and free,” declared the opposition politician.
Many other opposition figures in President V. Putin’s controlled country have been much less fortunate than him.
“I was in Russia as long as I could,” B. Nadezdin also told the AFP news agency from a hotel in a Paris suburb. “Until the very last moment, I tried not to cross any red lines, but apparently, they shifted.”
After receiving a summons for questioning from investigators, on July 22 he packed his bags and left Russia via Kazakhstan. B. Nadezdin feared that officials were preparing to bring a criminal case against him. Since he suffers from heart disease, he thought he might not leave prison alive.
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