Kiev relies on further prisoner exchanges with Russia
For the first time in months, Moscow is being conciliatory and exchanging hundreds of prisoners of war with Ukraine. Experts see this as a calculated move, and hope is growing in Kiev.
Following the largest exchange of prisoners of war between Ukraine and Russia to date, Kiev is hoping for the return of more imprisoned fighters to their homeland. 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.
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. 248 Russian prisoners were released to their home country, it was reported.
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.
Thousands of Ukrainians still in Russian captivity
According to information from Kiev, more than 4,000 Ukrainians are still in Russian captivity. More than 2800 have returned to Ukraine so far. The head of the Ukrainian presidential administration, Andriy Yermak, reaffirmed the goal of returning all prisoners to their homeland. The exchange of all prisoners is also part of President Volodymyr Zelensky's so-called peace formula.
Jermak has now announced that the next meeting on the formula at the level of the national security advisors of the states is planned for January in Switzerland. A day before the start of the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, a Ukraine conference is to take place there on January 14.
This follows on from a similar meeting in Malta in October, which was attended by more than 60 countries. The negotiations also serve to maintain support for Ukraine. Russia is not invited to the meetings.
Read also:
- Year of climate records: extreme is the new normal
- Precautionary arrests show Islamist terror threat
- UN vote urges Israel to ceasefire
- SPD rules out budget resolution before the end of the year
In light of this ongoing prisoner exchange, there's growing concern in Kiev about the fate of the thousands of Ukrainians still trapped in Russian captivity. Despite the recent exchange of hundreds of prisoners, Ukraine is yet to secure the release of over 4,000 of its citizens held by Russia, according to Kiev's authorities.
Source: www.ntv.de
