One of the largest exchanges of prisoners of war between Ukraine and Russia took place today, marked by President Volodymyr Zelenskyi as a significant step in the direction of conflict resolution. According to him, this exchange became possible thanks to the release of more than 200 Ukrainians who were in Russian captivity.
The President noted that among those released were both military personnel and civilians who were oppressed during Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. In particular, Zelenskyi emphasized the importance of the release of the soldiers who defended Mariupol and Azovstal.
The President expressed his gratitude to the entire team working on the release of Ukrainian prisoners, including the names of Budanov, Yermak, Usov, Malyuk and Klymenko. He also expressed his gratitude to the soldiers who are actively involved in detaining the Russian invaders and replenishing the exchange fund.
"The more Russians we capture, the more effective the negotiations on exchanges will be," Zelenskyi said.
According to the president, Ukraine uses every opportunity for exchange and raises the issue of the return of prisoners at every international meeting. He emphasized that, despite some pause in the exchanges, the negotiations on the exchanges did not stop.
Earlier, in mid-November, Petro Yatsenko, a representative of the Coordination Staff for the Treatment of Prisoners of War, reported that Russia temporarily froze the exchange process, but negotiations continue.
It should be noted that the last exchange took place in August 2023, and now Ukraine seeks to expand its scope, bringing to the fore the issue of conflict resolution and the return of all Ukrainians held captive in Russia.
