Vitaly Kaloyev lost his wife and two children in an air crash in 2002. In February 2004, he stabbed to death the only air traffic controller on duty at the time of the accident. Kaloyev was sentenced to eight years in 2005 but Switzerland's top court ruled on Thursday to release him ahead of time.
On arriving at Moscow's Domodedovo airport, Kaloyev was greeted by slogans including: "You are a real human." The 51-year-old architect has received substantial public sympathy in Russia since his conviction.
He thanked President Vladimir Putin and the Russian people for their support. "When in prison, I did not feel like I was away from my country."
On the night of July 1, 2002, a Russian Bashkirian Airlines passenger plane collided with a DHL cargo aircraft over southern Germany in airspace controlled by Swiss air traffic control company Skyguide, killing 71 people, including 45 children.
Earlier this year four employees of Skyguide were found guilty of criminal negligence leading to the crash.
Kaloyev's sentence was cut to five years and three months, and he was released by Swiss authorities on Monday due to good behavior, having served more than two-thirds of his sentence. Two of the court's five judges contested the early release.
