Medvedev's chilling warning: Released prisoners "should burn in hell"

The former President of the Russian Federation has once again attacked those released as part of the political prisoner exchange.

This is another strike by Medvedev against the political prisoners released by Russia as part of the exchange with the West. Earlier, the politician wrote that he would, of course, like the traitors of Russia, rot in a dungeon or die in prison, as often happened.

The BBC reports increasing attacks on Kremlin opponents who have emigrated from the country.

Dmitry Medvedev, currently serving as Deputy Chairman of the Security Council, wrote on Sunday on Telegram that political prisoners released by the Kremlin "should not forget the fragility of their earthly existence." In a thinly veiled threat, he also warned them "to watch their backs." He called the released political prisoners "traitors of the homeland" and wished them to "burn in hell."

The British portal BBC writes that the Kremlin has intensified attacks on its opponents who have emigrated from the country since the beginning of Russia's aggression against Ukraine. They told the BBC about increasing threats, attempts to silence them, and persecutions, assessing that "the Kremlin is tightening the screws."

Some activists, including Dmitry Gudkov from the Anti-War Committee, reported that they received warnings from British police about potential threats. Similar information was received by activist Ksenia Maksimova. British officers advised her to avoid traveling to countries where Russian agents might operate "more freely."

The BBC also reports that British anti-terrorism police have intensified their actions in response to threats related to the activities of hostile states. According to BBC interlocutors, reports of increasing cyber-attacks, internet espionage, and threats have been emerging.

Alesya Marochowska, an investigative journalist, received a message that "parasites cannot sleep peacefully." She changed her address when it appeared in a threatening message. An anonymous sender told her they would find her "wherever she walked with her wheezing dog." Later, she received messages containing other private information, such as her flight number and seat on a plane she was flying from the Czech Republic to Sweden. "Now I realise that [Russian intelligence services] can get their hands on people almost anywhere in Europe. I can’t say I’m not afraid, because I am," admitted Marochowska.

The BBC also reminds us of the brutal beating of Leonid Volkov, an associate of Alexei Navalny, who was attacked with a hammer in Vilnius. The perpetrators were two Polish hooligans hired by a Belarusian agent. All three were arrested. In Russia, the authorities initiate criminal cases against their opponents and cancel their documents to make their lives difficult.

According to analysts, Russian services are intensifying their actions against the opposition outside the country's borders. Andrei Soldatov, a researcher of Russian services, says that after an initial period of confusion in 2022, when the war broke out, and many intelligence officers were expelled from Western countries, these services regrouped and found a new sense of purpose. "In 2023, the agencies regrouped and found a new sense of purpose. They got resources and began increasing pressure," says Soldatov.

Mark Galeotti, an expert on Russia, assesses that the goal of these actions is intimidation. "If you want someone beaten up or even killed, they’re a lot easier to engage," assesses Galeotti.