WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Roger Wicker, R-Miss., met this week with Vladimir Kara-Murza, a Russian journalist, politician, and longtime critic of President Vladimir Putin. Last month, Kara-Murza was mysteriously and suddenly stricken ill and hospitalized in Moscow – leading many to believe that he had been poisoned for the second time in less than two years. His story was recently aired on CBS’s “60 Minutes.”

“Vladimir’s perseverance for an open, free, and democratic Russia is inspiring,” Wicker said. “I am proud to call him a friend, and I am confident that he will continue his work to highlight that cause from anywhere in the world.”