One of the largest prisoner exchanges between Ukraine and Russia took place today, hailed by President Volodymyr Zelensky as a significant step towards resolving the conflict. He said the exchange was made possible by the release of more than 200 Ukrainians held captive by Russia.
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, Zelensky stressed the significance of the release of the military who defended Mariupol and Azovstal.
The President expressed 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 gratitude to the soldiers who are actively involved in the detention of Russian occupiers and replenishment of the exchange fund.
“The more Russians we take prisoner, the more effective the negotiations on exchanges will be,” Zelenskyy noted.
According to the president, Ukraine uses every opportunity for an exchange and raises the issue of the return of prisoners at every international meeting. He emphasized that, despite a certain pause in the exchanges, negotiations on the exchanges have not stopped.
Earlier, in mid-November, Petro Yatsenko, a representative of the Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War, reported that Russia had temporarily frozen the exchange process, but negotiations were continuing.
It should be noted that the last exchange took place in August 2023, and now Ukraine seeks to expand its scope, bringing to the forefront the issue of conflict resolution and the return of all Ukrainians held captive in Russia.
