On the night of August 2, the US administration released a video recording from the Oval Office. It shows the phone conversations between people who were freed as

part of a prisoner exchange with Russia and their relatives.

In the recording, you can hear journalists Evan Gershkovich and Alsu Kurmasheva, former marine Paul Whelan (all three are US citizens), and politician Vladimir Kara-Murza (who holds a green card). At the time of the conversation, they were all on a plane flying to the US.

During the conversation with his family, Kara-Murza expressed disbelief at the situation:

"I was convinced I would die in prison. I can't believe what is happening. It still feels like I'm dreaming in my cell in Omsk instead of hearing your voice. But I want to say that you did an amazing job, saving so many lives. It seems there are 16 of us on this plane. I don't think there are many things in the world more important than saving human lives."

The UK Foreign Office demanded Kara-Murza's release after his imprisonment. Following the sentencing, US and UK ambassadors Lynn Tracy and Deborah Bronnert called for Kara-Murza's release. Kara-Murza is a UK citizen and holds US residency. Photo by Mykola Swarnyk, Wikimedia commons.