OREANDA-NEWS  Politicians Vladimir Kara-Murza and Ilya Yashin (both recognized by the Ministry of Justice as foreign agents) did not ask for clemency. Kara-Murza said this at a press conference in Germany following a large-scale prisoner exchange between Russia and Western countries.

According to Kara-Murza, no one asked for their consent to the exchange and they entered Germany using internal passports.

Yashin confirmed this and said that a few days before the pardon, he refused to sign the petition, and also wrote a statement rejecting the exchange.

A large-scale prisoner exchange between Russia, the United States and several European countries took place on August 1. Russia, in addition to Yashin and Kara-Murza, handed over to the West journalists Evan Gershkovich and Alsa Kurmasheva (recognized as a foreign agent in Russia), former Marine Paul Whelan, former coordinator of the Navalny Headquarters branch (recognized as an extremist organization, liquidated and banned in Russia) in Ufa Lilia Chanysheva (listed as terrorists and extremists) and others. In total, 13 people involved in the prisoner exchange were pardoned.

In Russia in the framework of the exchange returned eight people: Artem and Anna Dultseva, Ruslan Scars, Vadim Konashenok, Michael Mikushin, Roman Seleznev, as well as in captivity in the US businessman Vladislav Klyushin and is serving a life sentence in German scout Vadim Krasikov.