Ukraine: Major prisoner exchange with Russia
After a long time, Ukraine and Russia are exchanging prisoners again. More people are being released than ever before since the large-scale invasion by Kremlin troops. Last year, there were accusations from Kiev that Moscow was blocking such initiatives.
Ukraine and Russia have exchanged prisoners again after a break of several months. "Our people are at home," wrote President Volodymyr Zelenskyi on social networks. These were soldiers and civilians. The responsible coordination staff spoke of the largest prisoner exchange since the Russian invasion over 22 months ago. According to the report, 230 men and women had been released. The soldiers included defenders of the port city of Mariupol and Snake Island.
According to Moscow, 248 Russians returned from Ukrainian captivity. The United Arab Emirates and the International Committee of the Red Cross were involved in organizing the exchange. The last exchange took place in July last year.
According to Ukrainian sources, over 4,000 Ukrainians are still in Russian captivity. According to Kiev, it is not the fault of Kiev that more people have not returned home in recent months.
MP: Moscow blocked for months
The Ukrainian parliament's human rights commissioner , Dmitro Lubinez, accused Russia of blocking the exchange of prisoners of war at the end of November. "The exchange is not taking place because Russia does not want it," Lubinez explained on Telegram at the time.
All of Ukraine's initiatives and efforts had failed due to Russia's unwillingness to take back its own citizens. In the media, however, Moscow claims that Kiev is "doing nothing to bring back its warriors", according to Lubinez. In August, he stated that Ukraine had been able to retrieve a total of almost 2,600 of its prisoners of war in exchange since the start of the Russian invasion in February 2022.
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Despite Moscow's alleged blockage of prisoner exchanges, Volodymyr Selensky's social media post celebrated the recent release of 230 soldiers and civilians trapped in Ukrainian captivity, following the largest exchange since the Russian attack on Ukraine. The attack on Ukraine, characterized by Wars and conflicts, has resulted in a significant number of prisoners on both sides.
Source: www.ntv.de
