The expert told Ukrinform about this.
“Does there exist a list of all political prisoners/hostages of not centrally Russian, but national liberation and regionalist movements in Russia? It seems not. It would be useful to prepare and make them public because the world media only talk about Russian dissidents (of the federal level, – ed.),” said Bugaisky.
He made such a comment in connection with plans to create ombudsman apparatuses among national liberation and regionalist movements, which coordinate their activities within the framework of the Forum of Free Peoples of Postrussia.
Bugaisky also supported the call of the Anti-Imperial Bloc of Nations to the governments of the world’s democracies to pay more attention to representatives of national liberation movements in the Russian Federation and Ukrainian prisoners of the Kremlin during the selection of candidates for the exchange of political prisoners.
As reported, on 1 August, the largest exchange since the Cold War took place, in which seven countries were involved. 16 prisoners were extradited by Russia and Belarus; eight (plus two children of the spy couple) – by Western countries. Among the exchanged Russian political prisoners, there was not a single representative of the national liberation or regionalist movement in the Russian Federation, but only “federal level” oppositionists.
Janusz Bugajski is a senior researcher at the Jamestown Foundation (Washington, USA). One of the main speakers of the Forum of Free Peoples of Postrussia. Author of many books, including “Failed State: A Guide to Russia’s Rupture” (2022).
