BERLIN (AP) — All Russian Opposition politician Ilya Yashin When he was released from the penal colony, he took with him in exchange his toothbrush, a tube of toothpaste, his expired passport and the prison clothes he was wearing.

But he got off to a good start right away.

Within days of arriving in Germany, Yashin not only bought new clothes, set up a smartphone, and reunited with his parents, but also held a press conference, answered questions from his supporters live on YouTube, and held a rally in a Berlin park—even if that meant he had no time to catch up on sleep.

The 41-year-old dissident, who was released last week, the historic prisoner exchange between East and Westadmits that he does not really know how to be a politician in exile, a role that was forced upon him against his will.

But in an interview with the Associated Press in Berlin on Friday, he said he wanted to continue his campaign against Russia’s war in Ukraineto free more political prisoners and advance projects to unite the country’s fragmented opposition.

“There is a lot of work,” said Yashin, visibly tired from his tight schedule.

Yashin, a vocal and outspoken critic of President Vladimir Putin, was convicted of spreading false information about the Russian military after posting comments on YouTube about Hundreds of bodies found In the Kyiv suburb of Bucha, after Russian forces withdrew from the area in March 2022, some were handcuffed and shot at close range.

He was serving an 8 ½ year prison sentence when Russian authorities put him on a plane to Turkey as part of an exchange on August 1.

This was neither something he wanted nor something he aspired to, Yashin stressed at a press conference after his arrival in Germany together with other Russian dissidents. In fact, he once said he would never accept such a deal – and reiterated this last week when he described his release as a “forced deportation”.

Unlike many Kremlin critics, Yashin had long refused to leave Russia despite growing pressure from the authorities, arguing that his voice would sound weaker abroad. He even stayed after the invasion in 2022 and hastily passed laws criminalizing any public criticism of it.

He told AP that his newfound freedom had left him with mixed feelings.

On the one hand, there is “an enormous wave of enthusiasm, enormous inspiration and a lot of joy,” said Yashin.

“For the first time in over two years… I don’t have to get up at 5 a.m. after being told to do so, I don’t have to walk with my hands behind my back, there are no bars, fences and barbed wire around me, I can breathe fresh air, eat whatever I want, call whoever I want and whenever I want,” Yashin said. “This feeling of freedom is intoxicating.”

However, when he thinks about how many other people are still languishing in Russia’s prisons and detention centers, “it feels like a hammer is being hit on my head.”

Yashin’s goal now is to exchange even more of them. There are so many who deserve freedom more than he does, the dissident believes, especially those whose emotional and physical health is rapidly deteriorating behind bars.

In addition, he wants to maintain contact with Russian emigrants abroad, advocate for them with Western politicians and propose projects that could unite the Kremlin’s opponents.

But Yashin sees his most important task as reaching as many people in Russia as possible – not only those opposed to the war, but also those in favor of it.

“We have to talk to them and free these people from the shackles of Putin’s propaganda,” Yashin said at the rally in Berlin on Wednesday. “We have to explain to them that this monstrous war against Ukraine … is also a war against Russia, because this war is paralyzing … entire generations. It is robbing our country of its future.”

He was criticized for calling for a ceasefire in one of his first interviews after his release, but says that will not deter him.

“I feel responsible for what is happening and I want to prove to the Russians that this war is damaging Russia and is a tragedy for both Ukraine and Russia,” Yashin said.

Reaching those who support the Kremlin “will be an important step in stopping the aggression,” he said.

Yashin intends to use his own YouTube channel, which has nearly 1.7 million followers, to do this, but he acknowledges that this could be difficult as Russian authorities are reportedly clamping down on the platform, which is a key outlet for critical voices in Russia, at a time when most independent media and Western social platforms are blocked.

He said that at some point he would have to take a break to sort out his life in Germany, put together a team and find time to rest and recover after his imprisonment.

Yashin admitted that the more than two years behind bars had taken a toll on his physical and mental health. For example, he noticed that he slumped more often after many nights on an uncomfortable bunk in solitary confinement. Although he still has other health problems that he needs to address, he is “doing well” overall, he said.

He said Wednesday’s rally, attended by hundreds of his supporters, gave him a great emotional boost.

“The atmosphere there was absolutely amazing,” Yashin added. “I enjoyed the warm, vibrant energy of the people, which will definitely help me settle in more than all the therapists, beaches and food.”