Putin must not win in Ukraine, Russian dissident Kara-Murza says.

Russian President Vladimir Putin “must not be allowed” to win the full-scale war against Ukraine, Russian opposition figure and journalist Vladimir Kara-Murza said during a press conference at the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI) in London on Sept. 20.
Kara-Murza was released from a Russian penal colony on Aug. 1 as part of a historic prisoner exchange between the West and Russia. He had been sentenced to 25 years in prison in April 2023 for condemning Russia’s all-out war in Ukraine.
“Vladimir Putin must not be allowed to win this war in Ukraine,” Kara-Murza said at the press conference, organized jointly by RUSI and the Global Magnitsky Justice Campaign.
“More than that, he must not be allowed to have a face-saving exit from this war.”
Kara-Murza reportedly also met with U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer and U.K. Foreign Secretary David Lammy on Sept. 20 to urge Western governments to provide stronger support for Ukraine’s defense.  
During the RUSI press conference, Kara-Murza went on to say that Western nations should prepare for the Russian Federation to transition to a democratic government after Putin eventually leaves office.
“None of us knows exactly when, exactly in what circumstances, but it’s going to happen in the very foreseeable future. And next time, we must get this right.”
Putin holds a high approval rating among the Russian population (over 80%, according to independent polls), though those numbers have fallen some as the full-scale war drags on. Ukraine’s incursion into Kursk Oblast has also reportedly increased social discontent in Russia.
A September 2024 poll found that nearly half of Russians may support the withdrawal of troops from Ukraine, even if the Kremlin’s military goals are not achieved.
Kara-Murza also advocated for the release of more Russian political prisoners.
“I wake up every morning and I go to sleep every night thinking about all the others who are still left behind,” he said.
A dual Russian-British citizen, Kara-Murza was charged with “treason” and “spreading false information,” among other crimes, after being arrested in April 2022.
While imprisoned, Kara-Murza won the Pulitzer Prize in May 2024 for the commentary he wrote from his prison cell.
Kara-Murza was released in a historic swap along with fellow Russian dissident Ilya Yashin, Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, former U.S. Marine Paul Whelan, and Russian-American journalist Alsa Kurmashova.