Russia and Ukraine announced a prisoner-of-war exchange on Thursday involving the return of 45 soldiers from each side. Ukraine’s human rights ombudsman, Dmytro Lubinets, said most freed people were “seriously injured” and would undergo rehabilitation. Lubinets added that more than 2,570 Ukrainians had been freed in such exchanges since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022.
The announcement followed months of intense negotiations led by Bill Richardson, the former US ambassador to the UN, and his top deputy, Mickey Bergman. Joint mediation by the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia also played a role, both countries said. US officials have said that they were able to keep the negotiations focused on one issue — bringing back US citizen Brittney Griner. The former top US diplomat in Moscow, John Sullivan, told CBS News that the discussions were “very targeted and intense.”
In a video posted on the Telegram messaging app, Yermak said those released included Ukrainians who had defended Mariupol city and its Azovstal steel plant. He added that others were captured on the frontline elsewhere in Ukraine. “Each of them is a hero,” he said. The Ukrainian official also said two children, aged six and 10, were allowed to return to the country following the release of their mother, a military medic, last October.
Earlier, a Russian military spokesman, Sergei Ryabkov, said in a speech that the freed prisoners were among those who had fought on the battlefield. He said that the Kremlin had agreed to the swap without requiring the involvement of third parties. In a separate statement, Ryabkov denied that Moscow had taken over the separatist-controlled city of Bakhmut. “The city of Bakhmut is still firmly in the hands of its defenders, as evidenced by a series of victories over Wagner,” he was quoted as saying by Tass news agency.
Ukraine is fighting a war of attrition against the occupying forces of Russia, which are seeking to assert control over a large part of the country’s eastern territory. The conflict has killed over 13,000 people and wounded tens of thousands more.
Amid a tumultuous election season in the United States, Donald Trump has said little about the conflict. However, he has supported Putin and has not ruled out a US troop presence in Ukraine.
In a video on Russia’s state-run RT television channel, Putin hailed the prisoners’ release and the war’s success against the rebels. He warned, however, that if the conflict continues for too long, the cost will be high for both sides. The video was broadcast just after he met with his foreign ministers in Sochi. The meeting lasted nearly two hours, as the ministers discussed the fight against separatists in Ukraine, Russian-Ukrainian relations, and Crimea. It was the first time since a ceasefire agreement came into effect in mid-May that the ministers had met. The meeting was closed to the media.
