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UPDATE: On November 29th, Russia and Ukraine exchanged the bodies of the dead servicemen. 48 bodies of dead Russian fighters were exchanged to 502 Ukrainian bodies. 397 bodies of Ukrainian soldiers were taken in the Donetsk direction, 24 from Lugansk, 64 from Zaporizhia and 17 more were returned from morgues in other Russian regions.
Most of prisoner exchange between Russia and Ukraine dealt a severe political blow to the Kiev regime. Kiev has far fewer Russian prisoners of war, and it is trying to keep them in order to gain at least some advantages in future negotiations with Moscow. Unequal exchanges revealed that the Armed Forces of Ukraine are suffering heavier losses than the Russian military. Discriminative policy of Ukrainian authorities, who preferred to release members of the Nazi units and publicly known fighters instead of ordinary soldiers, provoked public unrest inside the country. Moreover, all Kiev’s actions are tightly controlled and should comply to the necessary media effect, that’s why any untimely exchange is always suppressed by the Ukrainian side.
On November 29th, unofficial sources close to the military reported that Ukraine thwarted the largest ever prisoner exchange that was planned to take place this week. Each of the warring sides should release 630 POWs from captivity.
The disruption of the exchange came as a surprise, since both sides had previously agreed on the details of the procedure. The Russian side was preparing for the transfer of 630 Ukrainians but at the last moment Kiev refused to comply with the agreements. The reasons for this decision by the Ukrainian side remain unknown.
Some Ukrainian observers suppose that the agreement was disrupted by some internal disagreements in the Ukrainian leadership. The prisoner exchange was considered one of the few areas where Kiev and Moscow were ready to continue their dialogue. The previous exchanges helped to reduce tensions and created prerequisites for further humanitarian initiatives, despite that some of them were also thwarted by Kiev.
On November 8th, the sides exchanged the bodies of the dead. 37 bodies of Russian servicemen were exchanged for 563 bodies of Ukrainians, including 62 bodies of POWs from the Il-76 aircraft that was shot down by Ukrainian forces in the Belgorod region. LINK
This is clear evidence that the Ukrainian military is suffering heavy losses and that the retreating Ukrainian units abandon bodies of thier dead comrades. Some of the retreating soldier prefer save their lives and surrender. According to the Russian Ministry of Defense, in the last week alone, 34 Ukrainian servicemen were captured on the frontlines, 17 of them surrendered in the Kursk region.
