Russian author and outspoken Putin critic Kagarlitsky released from prison

Russian author and outspoken Putin critic Boris Kagarlitsky has been released from prison.

Kagarlitsky was facing a potential sentence of up to seven years in prison on charges of “justifying terrorism”. He was arrested on 26th July 2023 on charges relating to a social media post about the 2022 Crimean Bridge explosion.

He had previously been declared a “foreign agent” by the Russian state, and has been a dissident within Russia since the later days of the Soviet Union. He was also forbidden from editing any media outlet or website for two years. He walked free on the 13th December, with a fine equivalent to $6,000, according to his publisher.

His new book The Long Retreat will be published in May by Pluto Press. In it, Kagarlitsky "brings his unique experiences to bear on how we can understand the role of the left in today’s world, especially in the backdrop of the war in Ukraine", Pluto said.

Pluto has published a number of his books from the mid-1990s for international distribution.  

David Castle, editorial director at Pluto Press said: “The Long Retreat is the magnum opus of one of the greatest left-wing Russian intellectuals alive today. It includes a sobering analysis of the failures of the global left over the past 30 years, and develops strategies for building a new bold, revolutionary left. After five months in detention, it is fantastic to have Boris Kagarlitsky with us again as a principled and forthright socialist thinker and agitator.”