Further exchange of prisoners of war between Ukraine and Russia expected
Following the largest exchange of prisoners of war between Ukraine and Russia to date, Kiev is hoping that more imprisoned fighters will return home. More heroes could return home in the coming weeks, said Ukrainian human rights commissioner Dmytro Lubinez on television in Kiev.
"The task is to bring absolutely everyone back," he said. After a long break, Moscow, which has been at war with Ukraine for almost two years, and Kiev exchanged prisoners on Tuesday for the first time since the summer.
According to official figures, 230 Ukrainian men and women returned from Russian captivity. It was reported that 248 Russian prisoners were released to their home country. There had already been dozens of such actions. Lubinez also said that there had recently been movement on the Russian side, which gave hope for a new exchange.
Experts from the US Institute for the Study of War (ISW) in Washington saw Moscow's return to the practice of exchanges after a long break as a calculated move following recent reports of mistreatment of Ukrainian fighters in Russian captivity. According to the ISW analysis, Russia wanted to show that it complies with international humanitarian law as part of possibly larger-scale information efforts.
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Kiev anticipates that this positive trend in the exchange of prisoners of war with Russia could continue, potentially leading to the release of more Ukrainian fighters. Additionally, the Russian government may consider facilitating further prisoner swaps in line with international humanitarian law, as suggested by recent actions and analysts' interpretations.
Source: www.ntv.de
