Moscow and Kyiv conduct new prisoner swap
Denis Pushilin, Russian-appointed head of the annexed “DNR,” announced that Russia and Ukraine have completed the latest round of prisoner exchanges:
Today we’re conducting a prisoner exchange with Kyiv according to the 50 for 50 formula. We’re sending Ukraine mostly armed forces personnel. 50 of our fighters got their freedom. Among them are seven people from the DNR and two from the LNR.
The Russian Ministry of Defense and the Office of the President of Ukraine later confirmed the exchange.
The ministry said that 50 service members “who faced mortal danger in prison” were returning to Russia.
Andrii Yermak, head of the Ukrainian Presidential Administration, reported that the freed Ukrainians include Azov fighters, defenders of Mariupol and the Azovstal metalworks, sailors from Snake Island, and several soldiers who were taken prisoner in the Chernobyl zone.
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Denis Pushilin last reported a prisoner exchange on October 17. At that time each side released 110 people. 108 female service members returned to Ukraine, and 80 civilian soldiers returned to Russia.
The largest exchange of prisoners since the beginning of the war took place on September 22. Kyiv traded the pro-Kremlin Ukrainian politician Viktor Medvedchuk and 55 Russian citizens for 215 members of Ukrainian Armed Forces, among them Azov fighters and commanders of the Azovstal defense.
As part of the exchange, which was mediated by Saudi Arabia, 10 foreigners were released who had fought for Ukraine and were taken prisoner by Russian. Among them were two UK citizens and a Moroccan who was sentenced to death in the self-proclaimed “DNR.”
