INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
Russian opposition politician and former prime minister Mikhail Kasyanov, who has been critical of Moscow's military campaign in Ukraine,
said Friday he had left Russia temporarily but was hoping to return.Kasyanov, who served as President Vladimir Putin's first prime minister
from 2000 to 2004, told AFP in written messages that he was not currently in Russia."I hope not for long," the 64-year-old said.He declined
to provide any other details or say where he was.After being sacked by Putin, Kasyanov joined Russia's opposition and became one of the
Kremlin's "brutal war" against Ukraine in an interview with Germany's Deutsche Welle released in mid-May.Konstantin Merzlikin, a senior
time extended to nine years after he was found guilty of embezzling donations to his political organizations and contempt of court, charges
