The Reality of Russian Politics

“Putin is sending a signal that those working abroad will have maximum protection, and that if they are arrested, the state will fight for their return and roll out the red carpet for them,” said Tatyana Stanovaya, a senior fellow at the Carnegie Russia Eurasia Center.

She noted that Russian and Western perceptions of the deal were starkly different.

“In the West, it’s being viewed from a humanitarian and political perspective, closely followed by media, significant for society,” Stanovaya told The Associated Press. “In Russia, it’s not an issue for society, it’s an issue for the state.”

« Pour Poutine, donner son accord à cet échange, c’est avant tout s’adresser à son public domestique et notamment les agents des services spéciaux eux-mêmes », abonde la spécialiste du système russe et fondatrice du cabinet R. Politik, Tatiana Stanovaïa. « Avec ces efforts consentis pour ramener tout le monde à la maison, même un tueur avéré comme Krassikov, cela montre aux agents et aux espions qu’il se battra toujours pour eux, comme un père. Cela vise à renforcer leur confiance en lui. Poutine est également dans un certain culte de l’État, c’est très important pour lui de protéger les serviteurs de l’État. »

Peskov said that their two children only realized their parents were Russian when they took off from Turkey after the prisoner swap. When Putin greeted their children on the tarmac in Vnukovo, Peskov said, he greeted them in Spanish, saying buenas noches, or good evening.

“They are heroes for Putin,” said Tatyana Stanovaya, a Kremlin-watcher and senior fellow for the Carnegie Russia Eurasia Center, a political think tank based in Berlin. “Putin wants to show that these people will be treated in the most honorable way. They will have everything they need.”