180 former prison inmates
Moscow is said to have brought back captured criminals
January 12, 2024, 9:55 p.m
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According to information from Kiev, a large-scale prisoner exchange failed for months because of Russia’s unwillingness to take back its own people. When it finally comes to this, the Kremlin will probably bring back mainly ex-prisoners.
According to media reports, in the most recent exchange of prisoners of war between Russia and Ukraine, Moscow brought back criminals primarily fighting in its own ranks. Of the 248 soldiers who returned home to Russia during the exchange, 180 were recruited in prisons for the war in Ukraine, reported the independent internet portal istories, among others. Among those returning home are convicted murderers, kidnappers and robbers, many of them repeat offenders. It was the first prisoner exchange between the two hostile neighboring countries in six months. The United Arab Emirates and the International Committee of the Red Cross were involved in organizing the exchange.
On the Ukrainian side, 230 captured soldiers were released during the exchange. Among those released were defenders of the port city of Mariupol and Snake Island. According to information from Kiev, more than 4,000 Ukrainians are still in Russian captivity.
According to Ukrainian sources, Kiev had proposed a more extensive exchange of prisoners of war. “But of the 600 people who could have returned to Russia, the Russian side agreed to only 248,” says the Telegram channel of the Ukrainian prisoner of war project “Khotshu shity” (“I want to live”). There is no official information from Moscow on this.
At the end of November, the human rights representative of the Ukrainian parliament, Dmitro Lubinets, accused Russia of blocking the exchange of prisoners of war. “The exchange is not taking place because Russia doesn’t want it,” Lubinez explained on Telegram at the time. All of Ukraine’s initiatives and efforts have failed due to Russia’s unwillingness to bring back its own citizens. However, Moscow claims in the media that Kiev is “doing nothing to bring back its warriors,” said Lubinets.