Pivovarov speaks on political activism in Helsinki after release from Russian prison

Andrei Pivovarov, who was imprisoned near the Finnish border in Russia’s Republic of Karelia just two months ago, spoke this weekend at an event in Helsinki for Russian democratic activists supporting political prisoners. Pivovarov shared that he is still adjusting to life outside of prison after his release in August during a historic exchange of prisoners between Russia and the West.

“This is a new world for me—a world of information, colors, and conflicts. I am still getting used to it,” he reflected. Pivovarov was arrested three years ago, in the fall of 2021, prior to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, shortly after he was forced to dissolve the Open Russia Foundation, one of the last major opposition organizations founded by ex-oligarch Mikhail Khodorkovsky.

Pivovarov was detained while on a flight to Poland. As soon as the plane started taxiing, it halted abruptly, and agents from the security service boarded and arrested him, declaring him wanted. He later realized the extensive preparations the Russian government was making ahead of the war and understood that his arrest was part of a strategy to eliminate undesired voices.

He spent three years in harsh conditions, first in Krasnodar and then in Karelia, where he described the treatment of prisoners as particularly severe, including constant surveillance and isolation. During his imprisonment, he believed that political figure Alexei Navalny, also incarcerated, was likely murdered, given the powers and control the authorities wield in prisons.

Now living in exile in Germany while continuing his activism, Pivovarov has been astonished by the devastation in Ukraine, which he likens to scenes from World War II. He remains confident that the current Russian regime will not withstand the consequences of the war it has initiated and hopes to return to his homeland one day.