Writing from a cell in a Russian jail known as the Bear, Ilya Yashin remained as defiant as ever. In neat, blue-ink lettering, the opposition politician was able to express himself candidly despite his incarceration. Removing Vladimir Putin from power, he wrote, was a prerequisite to “avoiding the risks of a new world war”.
“As long as Putin retains power, war, or at least the threat of war, will be permanent,” Yashin said in written answers to questions from the Guardian, delivered by his lawyers this week. “This man has gone mad from unlimited power and impunity, he has become a slave to his maniacal ambitions.”
