Released on August 1 as a result of an exchange, politician Ilya Yashin met with French President Emmanuel Macron at the Élysée Palace. Yashin handed over to the President of France the names of Russian political prisoners who should be included in the exchange lists and provided detailed information about some of them. The oppositionist noted that the French leader pays great attention to this topic.
According to the politician, part of the meeting was dedicated to the war in Ukraine. «Once again, I reiterated my belief that saving Ukraine aligns with our shared values and interests in both European security and Russian democracy. If Putin is not stopped in Ukraine, his regime will become even harsher, and his tanks will go even further,» Yashin wrote on his Telegram channel. He noted that Emmanuel Macron «makes a clear distinction between Putin and the Russian people, and he is clearly interested in dialogue with Russian society.»
The message on the Élysée Palace website states that the French leader noted Yashin's courage and dedication in his fight for freedoms in Russia, «especially among the youth.»
Ilya Yashin also spoke about his meeting with members of the French National Assembly, where issues of political prisoners, the war in Ukraine, and the Kremlin's influence on Europe were also raised.
In Paris, Yashin held a meeting with supporters, inviting officer Alexander Sterlyadnikov, who laid down his arms and refused to fight in Ukraine, Tatyana Khomich, sister of Belarusian political prisoner Maria Kolesnikova, and lecturer Mikhail Lobanov from the socialist movement. To Irina Galkova from «Memorial»*, the politician publicly gifted his prison robe for a human rights museum.
* Recognized as «foreign agents» in Russia.
Photo: TG Ilya Yashin