A Billings man, originally from Ukraine, knows the relief those Americans released from a Russia prsion are feeling.
He was held in prison in the former U.S.S.R. for speaking out against the KGB.
On Thursday, the 24-person swap took place on a tarmac in Turkey involving seven countries.
Among the Americans is Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich who was arrested last year and U.S. Marine veteran Paul Whelan, who has been wrongfully detained by Russia since 2018.
In exchange, Russia is getting back eight of its own.
“It's not equal exchange,” said Yuri Abramov, who once lived in the old U.S.S.R. and whose home is now Billings. “Those Russian people, they're a spy or professional killers. Or some close friends to Putin, so he needs them. They're 100 percent guilty and they work against United States.”
American Marc Fogel, whose sister lives in Montana, was not included in the swap and remains detained in Russia.
Abramov is a former Ukranian and his experiences parallel those of Gershkovich.
They both were imprisoned, both had evidence fabricated against them, and both had their freedom of speech oppressed.
Gershkovich became a free man on Thursday.
Abramov received his freedom in 1993 after 10 years in a Soviet prison, which he says is comparable to a Russian prison today.
“Destroyed personality,” Abramov said about the effects a U.S.S.R. prison can have on a person. “It's like you don't want to live anymore. so mentally, torture is most dangerous.”
Abramov stayed strong and came to the United States in 1994.
He was eventually granted political asylum and became a U.S. citizen in the 2000s.
He feared going back because of what he said about the KGB.
“I found some information which showed that Putin, terrorist dictator,” Abramov said. “In my words, he is like evil in human being’s body.”
He spoke out like Gershowvich did with his news reporting and both had evidence fabricated against them.
“So if some somebody dangerous (to the government), they usually fabricated some criminal’s case and they put in prison,” Abramov said. “And they gave example for rest people.”
Abramov said they kept his family from seeing him which was mental torture. And he talked about other conditions in the Russian prison.
“Put you in a small room for 15 days, sometimes 30 days,” Abramov said. “And no food, just a piece of bread and a glass of water.”
And now he hopes to bring his daughter and granddaughter to Billings.
“I recommend them, I ask them a leave from Ukraine,” Abramov said.
Yuri has helped his brother and his son get to this country.
He now enjoys his First Amendment rights of freedom of speech and the free exercise thereof with religion, something he did not experience in Ukraine.
"Sometimes if we go with my friends, teenagers to the church, police arrest all teenagers and put in prison only because we went to the church," Abramov said. "So it was dangerous."
His mother and grandmother attended church, but never pushed Yuri to go.
"I started to believe in Lord because in my dream, I saw Jesus Christ's face like up front of me," Abramov said about something that happened when he was 17. "I don't know if it was a dream or my eyes was open and I saw his face. I never forget and I never said words like that before. But when I look in his eyes and he's looking at me, he didn't say nothing, just looking. And I don't know why, I said I believe you Lord, I believe you."
He has a great appreciation for the United States of America.
“I am here in a free country,” Abramov said. “If we have some problem, we can fix it. But it's still the best country in the world, so I'm very happy that I'm here.”
