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Veteran human rights advocate freed in swap says Russia is sliding back toward Stalinist times

FILE - From left, Russia's Oleg Orlov, Lyudmila Alexeyeva and Sergei Kovalyov pose on Dec.16, 2009 in Strasbourg, France, at the European Parliament, as the Russian activists receive the European Union's top human rights award in recognition of the difficult conditions they face at home. (AP Photo/Christian Lutz, File)

FILE - From left, Russia's Oleg Orlov, Lyudmila Alexeyeva and Sergei Kovalyov pose on Dec.16, 2009 in Strasbourg, France, at the European Parliament, as the Russian activists receive the European Union's top human rights award in recognition of the difficult conditions they face at home. (AP Photo/Christian Lutz, File)

FILE - Oleg Orlov gives a victory sign as he walks to a court in Moscow, Russia, Tuesday, June 14, 2011. AP Photo/Misha Japaridze, File)

FILE - Oleg Orlov gives a victory sign as he walks to a court in Moscow, Russia, Tuesday, June 14, 2011. AP Photo/Misha Japaridze, File)

FILE - Oleg Orlov, co-chair of the Nobel Peace Prize-winning human rights group Memorial, speaks by phone after a court hearing in Moscow, Russia, on Oct. 7, 2022. (AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko, File)

FILE - Oleg Orlov, co-chair of the Nobel Peace Prize-winning human rights group Memorial, speaks by phone after a court hearing in Moscow, Russia, on Oct. 7, 2022. (AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko, File)

Oleg Orlov, co-chair of the Nobel Peace Prize-winning human rights group Memorial, listens to questions during an interview with The Associated Press in Berlin, Germany, Thursday, Aug. 8, 2024. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber)

Oleg Orlov, co-chair of the Nobel Peace Prize-winning human rights group Memorial, listens to questions during an interview with The Associated Press in Berlin, Germany, Thursday, Aug. 8, 2024. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber)

FILE – Oleg Orlov, the co-chair of the Nobel Peace Prize-winning human rights group Memorial, gestures while in a glass defendants’ cage in a court in Moscow, Russia, on Feb. 27, 2024, for a new trial on charges of discrediting the Russian military. (AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko, File)

FILE – Oleg Orlov, the co-chair of the Nobel Peace Prize-winning human rights group Memorial, gestures while in a glass defendants’ cage in a court in Moscow, Russia, on Feb. 27, 2024, for a new trial on charges of discrediting the Russian military. (AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko, File)

Oleg Orlov, co-chair of the Nobel Peace Prize-winning human rights group Memorial, speaks during an interview with The Associated Press in Berlin, Germany, Thursday, Aug. 8, 2024. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber)

Oleg Orlov, co-chair of the Nobel Peace Prize-winning human rights group Memorial, speaks during an interview with The Associated Press in Berlin, Germany, Thursday, Aug. 8, 2024. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber)

Oleg Orlov, co-chair of the Nobel Peace Prize-winning human rights group Memorial, speaks during an interview with The Associated Press in Berlin, Germany, Thursday, Aug. 8, 2024. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber)

Oleg Orlov, co-chair of the Nobel Peace Prize-winning human rights group Memorial, speaks during an interview with The Associated Press in Berlin, Germany, Thursday, Aug. 8, 2024. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber)

Oleg Orlov, the co-chair of the Nobel Peace Prize-winning human rights group Memorial, listens to questions during an interview with The Associated Press in Berlin, Germany, Thursday, Aug. 8, 2024. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber)

Oleg Orlov, the co-chair of the Nobel Peace Prize-winning human rights group Memorial, listens to questions during an interview with The Associated Press in Berlin, Germany, Thursday, Aug. 8, 2024. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber)

Oleg Orlov, the co-chair of the Nobel Peace Prize-winning human rights group Memorial, listens to questions during an interview with The Associated Press in Berlin, Germany, Thursday, Aug. 8, 2024. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber)

Oleg Orlov, the co-chair of the Nobel Peace Prize-winning human rights group Memorial, listens to questions during an interview with The Associated Press in Berlin, Germany, Thursday, Aug. 8, 2024. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber)

Oleg Orlov, co-chair of the Nobel Peace Prize-winning Human Rights group Memorial, poses for a portrait after an interview with The Associated Press in Berlin, Germany, Thursday, Aug. 8, 2024. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber)

Oleg Orlov, co-chair of the Nobel Peace Prize-winning Human Rights group Memorial, poses for a portrait after an interview with The Associated Press in Berlin, Germany, Thursday, Aug. 8, 2024. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber)