Washington Post Publisher Calls For Russia to Release Putin Critic Detained Over Comments on Ukraine

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Washington Post publisher Fred Ryan released a statement Tuesday condemning Russia’s detention of Vladimir Kara-Murza after the journalist told CNN+ that he believed Vladimir Putin’s rule would end due to the war in Ukraine.

Ryan praised Kara-Murza for his courage in speaking out against Russian autocracy and called for his immediate release.

“I have absolutely no doubt that the Putin regime will end over this war in Ukraine,” Kara-Murza told Sara Sidner on Monday.

He continued, arguing that democracy will come to Russia:

Doesn’t mean it’s gonna happen tomorrow. The two main questions are time and price, and by price I do not mean monetary. I mean the price in human blood and human life, and it has already been horrendous. But the Putin regime will end over this and there will be a democratic Russia after Putin.

Kara-Murza was arrested by Russian authorities in Moscow outside his home. The well-regarding Putin critic has penned multiple columns for the Washington Post and survived two poisonings, one in 2015 and another in 2017.

Read Ryan’s full statement below:

Through his columns in the Washington Post, Vladimir Kara-Murza has been relentless and courageous in his efforts to bring the truth about his country’s leadership to light. Following poisonings and other grave threats, this outrageous detention is the latest move in Vladimir Putin’s ongoing effort to silence Kara-Murza and hide the truth about the atrocities Putin is committing in the Russian people’s name.

No one should be deceived by the Russian government’s trumped-up charges and smears, and Kara-Murza should be released immediately.