- Title: We have a desire to return says released Russian dissident Pivovarov
- Date: 3rd August 2024
- Summary: BONN, GERMANY (AUGUST 3, 2024) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF OPPOSITION GROUP “OPEN RUSSIA” MEMBER, ANDREI PIVOVAROV, AND HIS WIFE, TATIANA USMANOVA, WALKING TOGETHER PIVOVAROV DURING INTERVIEW USMANOVA LISTENING DURING INTERVIEW (SOUNDBITE) (Russian) OPPOSITION GROUP “OPEN RUSSIA” MEMBER, ANDREI PIVOVAROV, SAYING: “Despite the fact that I was sincerely preparing for the fact that this (my imprisonment) would be over, but according to some information, and the conversations that took place in my case, my release was not guaranteed. Therefore, on the one hand, I, of course, counted the days (until the end of the sentence), and on the other hand, my close friends from the organization, from "Open Russia", comrades, of course, mentally prepared me that this situation might not end in September, and also some signals came from within.” INTERVIEW IN PROGRESS (SOUNDBITE) (Russian) OPPOSITION GROUP “OPEN RUSSIA” MEMBER, ANDREI PIVOVAROV, SAYING: “I tried to find out (what was going on) in different ways, ask questions. Sometimes (security guards) would come, I would ask them questions, they would leave. I must have gotten on their nerves with my questions, (because) the man who received us came and said: "What are you worried about? You'll be home on Friday." On Thursday morning the doors open, they give us papers and tell us to sign them. They didn't give us these papers; they just showed us. And then we go down to the floor below with our things, they take them away and there are, you know, 25-30 men, like they usually show operatives, only a little bigger. They were trained, tactical uniform, all wrapped up. As it turned out later, this was Alpha (unit) from the FSB. And as it later became clear, their aim was if someone would resist (to leave Russia) - because the fact itself was already being discussed there - they had an order that whoever would doubt and resist, then put handcuffs on them and force them into the bus.” VARIOUS OF PIVOVAROV DURING INTERVIEW (SOUNDBITE) (Russian) OPPOSITION GROUP “OPEN RUSSIA” MEMBER, ANDREI PIVOVAROV, SAYING: “Most of the conversations that took place on the bus and later were about how to return to Russia. (As) people who were actually deported, who were kicked out of the country, we all have a great desire to return. From the point of view of the law, it turns out that we are now free people, we have no sentence, we are not convicted, nothing, we have no bans. But these conversations that Vladimir Kara-Murza and others talked about, it is clear that they will not allow us to return, although we want to. And those conversations that took place - maybe now we, guys (guards), will fly back with you? The guys smiled, but, naturally, they did not allow such a thought.” USMANOVA LISTENING (SOUNDBITE) (Russian) OPPOSITION GROUP “OPEN RUSSIA” MEMBER, ANDREI PIVOVAROV, SAYING: “Everyone is affected by what is happening (in Ukraine), both in economic terms, plus some people have been personally affected by the military actions. I have hardly met anyone who is happy about this. Few support it to the point of madness. And those who support it in words to the point of madness usually keep a very long distance from what is happening. In words - yes, but in reality - no. And if we have the opportunity to develop and propose those steps that will allow a person, without crossing the line of what is acceptable for him, without taking on additional risks, to make a small contribution to changing the situation - then it seems to me that maybe this could be our task.” VARIOUS OF PIVOVAROV DURING INTERVIEW WITH USMANOVA SITTING ON WALL (SOUNDBITE) (Russian) OPPOSITION GROUP “OPEN RUSSIA” MEMBER, ANDREI PIVOVAROV, SAYING: “(ASKED ABOUT HIS REACTION ON NEWS OF NAVALNY’S DEATH) To be honest, it was a shock. I understood that they were telling the truth on TV, but I couldn’t believe it. Because after all, Alexey, he symbolized inflexibility, when it seemed that something was happening, something terrible, but then we always found out that he was doing well, and he somehow outplayed everyone again. And when it became clear that it was final, of course, it was devastating, and such, maybe, hopelessness for some time, because he always moved forward, he was a guide. There was no more information. The news broadcast ended, naturally, no more information about it, not on the radio, nowhere, it was restricted. Letters won’t arrive soon, they take a long time to get there. Therefore, of course, it was such a vacuum, which was probably such a black vacuum, because you can’t talk to anyone. All you know is that Channel One said that he died, it’s clear that he was killed, there was no doubt about it.” USMANOVA LISTENING DURING INTERVIEW USMANOVA SPEAKING (SOUNDBITE) (Russian) OPPOSITION GROUP “OPEN RUSSIA” MEMBER, ANDREI PIVOVAROV, SAYING: “You know, probably, yes, I feel safe (in Germany), although the police are here and are quite attentive to our movements. They instructed us on what is allowed and what is not, that it is better to change everything - from a car to phones. Unfortunately, I have neither a car nor a phone, so I have nothing to change. But they are very caring, (they tell us) if we notice something risky, how we should behave. They instructed very carefully. But still, I understand that different things can happen here. But if you are afraid of that, you can do nothing at all. Of course, they can get you anywhere. There were precedents, including in Germany and Europe, when people were killed by strangers or not by strangers. What can I say, this person who returned to Russia (Krasikov), what did he do in Germany? Anything can happen. But what is the point of being afraid? Whatever happens - happens. Of course, we behave carefully. But I do not think that we need to give up our goals and ideas, because something can happen.” VARIOUS OF PIVOVAROV AND USMANOVA WALKING HAND IN HAND SUN SHINING THROUGH LEAVES VARIOUS OF PIVOVAROV AND USMANOVA STANDING TOGETHER AND WATCHING RIVER RHINE USMANOVA’S ARMS HUGGING PIVOVAROV'S ARM VARIOUS OF PIVOVAROV AND USMANOVA STANDING TOGETHER ON EMBANKMENT
- Embargoed: 17th August 2024 21:49
- Keywords: Andrei Pivovarov Russia dissident exchange prisoner
- Location: BONN, GERMANY
- City: BONN, GERMANY
- Country: Germany
- Topics: Diplomacy/Foreign Policy,Europe,Government/Politics
- Reuters ID: LVA001412903082024RP1
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: Some of the Russian prisoners who arrived in Germany after a prisoner swap are already thinking about their return to Russia, one of the released dissidents told Reuters on Saturday (August 3).
“As people who were actually deported, who were kicked out of the country, we all have a great desire to return,” Russian dissident Andrei Pivovarov told Reuters TV in an interview in Bonn, Germany on Saturday (August 3).
Pivovarov, a member of opposition group “Open Russia”, was among a group of Russian opposition activists freed from jail in Thursday's (August 1) prisoner swap.
The prisoner swap, the largest since the Cold War, saw eight Russians, including a convicted murderer, exchanged for 16 prisoners in Russian and Belarusian jails, many of them dissidents. It was hailed as a win by Western leaders who feared for the dissidents' lives after the death in jail last year of politician Alexei Navalny.
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