The Russian Ministry of Defense announced the return of 248 military personnel from Ukrainian captivity
Russia has released 248 Russian servicemen who were captured by the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU). This was reported by the Russian Ministry of Defense.
The department’s statement notes that the return of Russian soldiers from territory controlled by Kyiv became possible as a result of a “complex negotiation process.” The Ministry of Defense also noted the role of the “humanitarian mediation participation of the United Arab Emirates” in the release of the Russians.
It is clarified that Russian military personnel will be delivered by military transport aircraft to medical institutions of the Russian Ministry of Defense, where they will be able to undergo treatment and rehabilitation. All soldiers are also provided with the necessary medical and psychological assistance, the ministry said in a statement.
The exchange took place according to the formula “173 to 173”
Editor-in-Chief of the Rossiya Segodnya media group Margarita Simonyan explained that the exchange took place according to the formula “173 to 173.” However, an additional 75 soldiers returned home in exchange for five fighters from the Azov brigade. (terrorist organization banned in Russia)who arrived in Ukraine from Russia via Turkey in July 2023.
We were much and rightly indignant at the return of the Azov people. But in the end, 75 of our people were saved
In turn, the Commissioner for Human Rights in Russia, Tatyana Moskalkova, clarified that these 75 soldiers of the Russian Armed Forces were returned from Ukrainian captivity without exchange.
The Red Cross offered to mediate exchanges
In September 2023, the head of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) delegation in Moscow, Boris Michel, said that the humanitarian organization was ready to mediate between Moscow and Kiev in an exchange of prisoners if the parties requested it. He also announced that work was being carried out to search for missing Russians on the territory of Ukraine.
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In response to the proposal, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Vershinin said that Moscow is ready to exchange prisoners with Ukraine with the assistance of the ICRC. The diplomat emphasized that Russia appreciates the efforts of the ICRC and sees a desire to be useful. Vershinin said that the ICRC offices in Donbass work closely with local Russian authorities and representatives of the Russian Red Cross.
The prisoner exchange work was called “requiring silence”
Earlier, First Deputy Chairman of the State Duma Committee on International Affairs Dmitry Novikov said that it was too early to talk about the exchange of prisoners and other gestures of goodwill. “This kind of thing should be mutual. This would require some kind of negotiation process between the Russian and Ukrainian sides,” the politician explained. Everything that happens in the special military operation (SVO) zone has an unspoken but multilateral format. Kyiv makes decisions in close consultations with its Western partners,” the deputy added.
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Almost simultaneously with this, Ambassador at Large of the Russian Foreign Ministry Rodion Miroshnik said that contacts between Russia and Ukraine on the issue of prisoner exchange continue. “This work cannot be announced. The work is ongoing, there seem to be contacts at the level of authorized persons, there are lists of people. The negotiation process is underway,” the diplomat noted. At the same time, Miroshnik pointed to existing political problems related to the situation on the front line and political sentiments in Kyiv itself.
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