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Amid the ongoing heavy battles on the frontlines, the warring sides are in contact for negotiations on some humanitarian issues. Unfortunately, no mediation efforts of foreign leaders helps to persuade the Kiev regime to agree on various important issues. In particular, it was revealed that Kiev refused Russian proposal to launch a large prisoner exchange.
Deputy of the State Duma of the Russian Federation, who is involved in the exchange process, reported on his social networks that the Russian side was ready to release 500 Ukrainian POWs in exchange to the same number of Russian prisoners.
Kiev does not agree with the Russian proposal. According to Ukrainian sources, Ukrainian leadership is carefully studying the lists of Ukrainian POWs proposed by the Russian side. Kiev does not bother to release the ordinary servicemen but prefers public figures and members of nationalist formations, like militants of the destroyed Azov battalion, the Nazis brought to the level of national heroes in Ukraine. While Kiev is looking for media victories, thousands of Ukrainian men remain in Russian captivity.
A lot of Ukrainian POWs complained that the Ukrainian side refused to exchange them several times and they stay in Russia for years.
‘I think maybe they don’t want to exchange me because I was forcibly taken into the army. So that I don’t make any statements and probably tell people how they take men away, and what is going on in our army in general. Mr. President, I have children just like you. I want to return to my family, to my mother, children, and sister,’ – one of Ukrainian POWs appealed to Zelensky.
The Kiev regime attempts to play diplomatic games with Moscow but achieves no success. The Russian Deputy reported that the Ukrainian side prefers to exchange all POWs from the both sides. Given the fact that today there are much more Ukrainian POWs than Russian ones, the exchange of “all for all” will not be equivalent in the conditions of an ongoing special military operation.
‘I would like to note that the “all for all” proposal is quite reasonable, but in practice such exchanges occur after the cessation of hostilities, after the peace is agreed, and the signing of relevant agreements,’ the Russian Deputy commented.
Another unexpected idea from Kiev was to launch the so-called “confessional exchanges”, i.e. to exchange muslims to muslims, christians to christians and so on. The Russian side considers that it would not be right to divide prisoners of war by religious affiliation. Moreover, such measures would violate the Constitution of Ukraine itself, since none of the citizens can be infringed on their rights because of their religion.
While Kiev is playing media games, Moscow attempts to take as many Russian POWs back from Ukrainian captivity as possible. The Russian sides is ready to exchange all Russian servicemen who are in Ukrainian captivity for exactly the same number of Ukrainian POWs in Russian captivity. These number will not include Ukrainian servicemen convicted of war crimes.
While the fighting continues on the frontlines, this seems to be the most reasonable and humane exchange option for both sides.
“The remaining servicemen of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in our captivity will also be exchanged, in case our fighters are captured. There is no point in worrying about those Ukrainian military who will still remain in captivity after the end of their military operation, because sooner or later, Peace will come, and these people will return to their homeland. There will be no need to keep them in Russia,” – the Russian Deputy claimed.
Today, Russia is ready to release 500 Ukrainian POWs. The lists of Ukrainian servicemen were sent to the Ukrainian side and they were recently released online; but Kiev is yet to agree with this list. Suffering from heavy military defeats, political failures and general disappointment in the Ukrainian leadership both in Ukraine and abroad, Zelensky and his entourage are looking for at least some political points to gain and at least some miserable fake victories to declare. Meanwhile, thousands of Ukrainian men remain in captivity deprived from possibility to return home.
