The strange swap, which was not prescribed by any laws, of Russian wannabe spies for three (it is unclear whose exactly) spies and one person who doesn’t belong in THIS company at all ended the devil knows how for this last person: the state that goes by the name of Russia has still not issued him a certificate of release.

In my day I had received one of these: without it they wouldn’t let you past the gates of the prison colony. In the situation with Igor Sutyagin the law started getting violated, as it did in “his” criminal case, right from the very start. This time around – at the gates of the colony. The Chekists arrived, told the boss of the colony “give the person up”, and that one violated the law: he gave away a person without giving him a certificate of release in hand. In the meantime this certificate – is no ordinary piece of paper. In it, in particular, is indicated that citizen so-and-so (data about him) has served punishment in places of deprivation of liberty from such-and-such through such-and-such a date, from where he has been released upon a decision (a decree, an edict…) to so-and-so. And that he is proceeding to place of residence; and that tickets for passage and money have been given out to him… A stamp is placed next to the photograph. And the signature of the chief of the spetz-unit of the colony. I recently met with Igor Sutyagin. It turned out that he doesn’t have the original of the edict of president Medvedev on a pardon either. There’s a printout from the president’s website of Edict No. 873. (see photo). Medvedev’s signature isn’t even on there!