message to the front
Zelenskyj demands more arrests from soldiers
05/26/2023, 08:30 am
In an exchange operation, many Ukrainian fighters are released whose whereabouts were previously unknown. Ukrainian President Zelenskyj then sent a message to the front: more of this. There is a certain hope behind it.
After a prisoner exchange near the embattled town of Bakhmut, during which more than 100 Ukrainian fighters were released, the Ukrainian president has addressed his fighters directly. “Of course, I am also grateful to each of our soldiers who made sure that we have an appropriate exchange fund. Everyone at the front should remember: the more Russian prisoners of war we take, the more of our people we will bring back,” he said it on Zelenskyy’s official Telegram channel.
According to the president, 98 soldiers and non-commissioned officers and eight officers were released near the front during the action the day before. Ukrainian and Russian military personnel met with armored vehicles and white flags on a road between two fields. “I would like to thank everyone who made this possible. Everyone who prepared this exchange did a great job,” writes Zelenskyj. According to him, many of those released were considered missing. There was “no information at all” about her.
Three Ukrainian fighters for a Russian pilot
Since the beginning of the large-scale invasion, the two warring factions have exchanged prisoners again and again. Before that, there had already been similar actions between Ukraine and the pro-Russian attackers in the east of the country.
Zelenskyy’s call for more arrests is based on the hope that he will be able to bring more of his own fighters back home. ntv reporter Gordian Fritz was recently able to speak to a soldier from a special unit who accompanies and secures the exchange of prisoners. For example, three Ukrainian fighters can be “exchanged” for a Russian pilot.
The soldier also told how such actions are carried out. Those responsible in Ukraine and Russia would telephone beforehand and negotiate the terms: who and how many at which location? A ceasefire is then agreed for the place at the front. Fritz called it “unique” that the exchanges were taking place during the ongoing war.
