Putin ally warns Kremlin critics freed in prisoner swap to 'select new names' and 'disguise themselves' in chilling threat - as returning Russian killer is given red-carpet welcome in Moscow

Former Russian President and adjacent Vladimir Putin ally Dmitry Medvedev has issued a chilling informing to governmental dissidents freed from jails successful a immense captive speech pinch Western countries.

British journalist Vladimir Kara-Murza, American Wall Street Journal newsman Evan Gershkovich and a big of Russian citizens were released from their situation cells yesterday in return for various Russian assets jailed successful nan West successful 1 of nan biggest captive swaps since nan Cold War. 

But Medvedev, now the deputy president of Russia's information council, implied those freed by nan Kremlin would everlastingly request to look complete their enarthrosis successful a thinly cloaked threat. 

'Let the traitors now feverishly prime caller names and actively disguise themselves nether nan witnesser protection programme,' he posted, implying that Russia's information services whitethorn activity to assassinate them pursuing their release.

It comes arsenic respective prisoners released by nan West, including hitman Vadim Krasikov who assassinated a erstwhile Chechen independency combatant successful Berlin successful 2019, were welcomed backmost connected Russian ungraded successful a expansive reddish carpet ceremonial personally presided complete by Putin. 

Kara-Murza, 42, told of his alleviation and euphoria astatine gaining state from his Siberian jailhouse cell, wherever he had antecedently been condemned to a 25-year condemnation connected treason charges aft protesting against Putin. 

'No connection is beardown capable for this,' he told his family who were gathered pinch different relatives and President Joe Biden successful nan Oval Office.

'I was judge I was going to dice successful prison.

'I still deliberation I americium sleeping successful my situation compartment successful Omsk alternatively of proceeding your voice.'

There had been acute fears that Kara-Murza - who holds some UK and Russian citizenship - would dice successful jailhouse successful Siberia.

He had warned that Putin was a 'vengeful, cowardly, greedy aged man' who 'still holds connected pinch a decease grip, destroying anyone successful whom he sees a threat to his power.

'He must beryllium stopped, and only Russian nine itself tin do this,' Kara-Murza declared.

A number of salient governmental dissidents for illustration Kara-Murza were among those released connected Thursday. 

Among different Russian governmental activists freed nether nan woody were Liliya Chanysheva, ex-head of Navalny's office successful Ufa; Ilya Yashin, a salient politician; Ksenia Fadeeva, ex-head of Navalny's office successful Tomsk; Andrey Pivovarov, a politician; Sasha Skochilenko, an artist; and Oleg Orlov, co-chairman of Memorial quality authorities organisation.

Commenting connected their release, Medvedev said: 'I would like, of course, for nan traitors to Russia to rot successful a dungeon aliases dice successful prison, arsenic often happened,' but added it was basal to free them to unafraid nan merchandise successful benignant of Russian assets.

'It's much useful to bring retired our ain group who worked for nan country, for nan Motherland, for each of us.'

There is logic for newly-liberated Russian dissidents to beryllium concerned.

In 2010, then-Russian president Medvedev pardoned Russian spy Sergei Skripal, who had been jailed for secretly spying for Britain.

But this did not extremity nan GRU overseas intelligence work from attempting to assassinate nan defector, who was poisoned pinch a nervus supplier successful nan British municipality of Salisbury successful 2018.

He became earnestly sick but survived, arsenic did his girl Yulia.

Twelve years anterior to nan effort connected Skripal's life, Russian defector Alexander Litvinenko died successful a London infirmary furniture from acute radiation poisoning. 

The erstwhile FSB supplier fled Russia to nan UK and was granted asylum successful return for advising British intelligence services, but he was targeted and killed by Russian assassins who spiked his beverage pinch polonium-210, a highly toxic radioactive isotope.

Russian detainees released by nan West received a hero's invited backmost home.

A immense reddish carpet lined by soldiers opinionated to attraction was seen rolled retired astatine Moscow's Vnukovo airdrome to person them arsenic they stepped disconnected nan level from nan Turkish superior Ankara, wherever nan switch took place. 

Putin sought to maximise nan nationalist relations use and hugged respective of nan recently returned prisoners, including slayer Krasikov, arsenic they emerged.

Krasikov, a Russian intelligence supplier who had been serving a situation condemnation imposed by a German tribunal for killing dissident Zelimkhan Khangoshvili while he was cycling successful Berlin successful August 2019, was warmly embraced by nan Kremlin chief. 

'The Motherland does not hide astir you for a minute,' Putin told nan assembled returnees. 

'And present you are astatine home. All of you will beryllium presented pinch authorities honours.

'We'll spot you again, we'll talk astir your future. And now I conscionable want to congratulate you connected your homecoming.'