Aleksandra Skochilenko, a Russian artist, was released in the huge prisoner swap last week. Skochilenko, unlike most captives, did not have foreign citizenship or a high profile. This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Aleksandra "Sasha" Skochilenko , a Russian artist who was sentenced to seven years in prison in March 2022 for replacing supermarket price tags with anti-war slogans .
She was released last week as part of the prisoner swap between the US, Russia, and other countries. The following has been edited for length and clarity. On Thursday, an FSB officer told us we were going to be freed as part of a prisoner swap — the miracle we had been waiting and hoping for.
At first I didn't believe it — for two and a half years, I'd been lied to every single day. I thought that I would be serving the rest of my sentence — seven years. Russian political prisoners don't have the privilege of early release.
I didn't want to be fooled by my hope; the disappointment would be too hurtful. On the morning of the exchange , as we were being moved around, I didn't know the prisoner swap was happening. I was scared.
I felt like a hostage, and I feared we might die. The release was an extremely complicated process. Eventually, I got to Ankara, Turkey.
There, we were allowed to call our relatives and loved ones. I called Sonia, my girlfriend, and found out that she was in Istanbul. My girlfriend and I were in the same country.
It was a fantastic feeling. In the morning,.