Jailed Russian Dissident Kara-Murza Set to Publish Memoir Next Spring

Russian opposition figure Vladimir Kara-Murza has written a memoir titled 'One Day Free,' scheduled for release on May 18 through Public Affairs, an imprint of Hachette Book Group.

According to the publisher's announcement, the book serves as both a personal testimony and historical account covering roughly twenty-five years of life under President Vladimir Putin's leadership. Kara-Murza stated the work examines those who enabled Putin's rule, both within Russia and in Western nations, as well as those who resisted it, sometimes at great personal cost.

Kara-Murza, 45, is known for his work as an activist, journalist, and filmmaker. He was arrested in 2022 after speaking out against Russia's invasion of Ukraine and received a 25-year prison sentence as a result.

He was released in 2024 as part of a prisoner exchange and has since relocated to the United States, where he now serves as vice-chairman of Open Russia, a pro-democracy organization established by exiled Russian businessman Mikhail Khodorkovsky.

During his imprisonment, Kara-Murza was awarded a Pulitzer Prize for commentary based on columns he wrote for The Washington Post. His time in custody included eleven months of solitary confinement in Siberia, and he has pointed to two separate poisoning incidents that he attributes to Russian officials.

Despite these experiences, Kara-Murza expressed optimism about Russia's future, noting that history has shown oppressive regimes can transform into peaceful democracies, and that no country is permanently bound to authoritarian rule.