Prison exchanges, US-RUS

Russian liberal opposition politician Ilya Yashin, just released from Putin's prison through an exchange of prisoners, criticized that very exchange.

He said, "It encourages Putin to take more hostages." He is thinking like the patriotic hostage I wrote about yesterday.

He did not want to leave Russia, either; he wanted to stay there and campaign for freedom. I understand those feelings, but in any fight there can be times when it is better to retreat than to stay put and be totally defeated. This was one. Putin makes it nearly impossible to campaign for freedom, justice, truth or peace in Russia.