Putin spokesman walks back assurance that all Russians who left after Ukraine invasion can safely return

Two days after Putin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that Russians who left the country after the start of the war in Ukraine have nothing to fear if they return to Russia, he has qualified the statement, adding that it doesn’t apply to all returnees.

During a press call on Wednesday, journalists asked Peskov to respond to State Duma Speaker Vyacheslav Volodin’s statement that Russians who “desire the victory of the murderous Nazi Kyiv regime” should be sent to the Magadan region, which is known for its prison camps, if they return.

Peskov said that Volodin was referring to people who have “taken a distinct anti-Russian position” and “sided with the Kyiv regime,” adding that “we’re indeed not on the same path as these people.” In his own earlier statement, the press secretary said, he was referring to the “vast majority of people who can freely choose where to live at any given moment.” For these people, he said, “the Motherland is always waiting.”