Securing Russia’s Democratic Future

Over the last decade, Russia has unjustly imprisoned hundreds of Russian dissidents and dozens of Western nationals — not to mention thousands of Ukrainians — to further Putin’s own political ambitions at home and abroad. The Kremlin has arrested journalists, democratic activists, and foreign civilians as leverage to release convicted Russian intelligence agents, assassins, and arms dealers, as well as to extract broader concessions from Western governments.

The prisoner exchange, although too late to save the life of Alexey Navalny, has liberated important Russian opposition leaders, including Vladimir Kara-Murza and Ilya Yashin, marking an important moment for Russia’s opposition. But is getting Russian democrats out of Russia the best the West can do to support Russian democracy? And what can the West do to prevent future Kremlin hostage-taking?