Russia says it is sending Ukrainian prisoners of war to the front in violation of the Geneva Convention.
Russia and Ukraine announced a major exchange of prisoners on Wednesday. 248 prisoners are returning to Russia and 230 prisoners to Ukraine.
According to a press release from the Russian Ministry of Defense, which is waging a war of aggression, the exchange was made possible by the mediation of the United Arab Emirates. The exchange of prisoners is reportedly the only thing that Russia and Ukraine have been able to discuss regularly since the beginning of the war.
According to Russia, its soldiers are picked up by military aircraft and sent for medical examination and rehabilitation. The release does not say where the plane will pick up the soldiers.
“Our people are at home,” commented the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyi exchange in Telegram.
“We will do everything we can to return the remaining prisoners of the Russians.”
The video posted by Zelenskyi shows men, some of whom are wrapped in the Ukrainian flag.
“Ukraine above all,” they shout.
According to Zelensky, those released include soldiers from the army, national guard, navy, and border guard, eleven officers and six civilians.
Human Rights Commissioner of the Parliament of Ukraine Dmytro Lubinets Among those released are the defenders of Mariupol and Käärmesaari, who have been imprisoned since the beginning of the war of aggression.
to Mariupol among the soldiers of the stationed Azov Regiment and their families, there has been dissatisfaction that there are reportedly no soldiers of the regiment among those released.
Russia considers the Azov regiment to be the epitome of Ukrainian “Nazis” and has used its captured soldiers for propaganda purposes.
HS interviewed released defenders of Mariupol more than a year ago.
in Russia on the other hand, among others, the Human Rights Commissioner Tatyana Moskalkova has claimed that Ukraine would only get back 173 prisoners.
The separation would be due to the fact that in July Zelenskyi brought five commanders who led the defense of Mariupol by plane from Turkey, who, according to the original agreement, had to stay in Turkey until the end of the war.
According to Dmytro Lubinets, it was the 49th exchange of prisoners between Ukraine and Russia. However, it has been a while since the last one, as it happened at the beginning of August.
The Office of the President of Ukraine published photos showing prisoners of war returned to Ukraine. The president's office did not say where the photos were taken.
Russia has announced that he has form
ed a volunteer battalion from captured Ukrainian soldiers. The state news agency Novosti and television channel Rossija reported on the matter before the new year.
According to the Russian media, the battalion would have 70 former Ukrainian prisoners of war who had decided to join the war on the Russian side.
The battalion has a designated military commander Bogdan Khmelnytsky and it is fighting in Urožaine, Donetsk region.
If Russia's claims are true, it would be a violation of the Geneva Convention on Prisoners of War, as the convention unequivocally prohibits the taker of the prisoners from using them for combat duties.
Ukrainian prisoners after the exchange.
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