Some overly enthusiastic voices are hailing the recent prisoner exchange as an indicator of peace to come; however, in truth it will only occur once Russia realizes that Ukraine won’t renounce its sovereignty.
On Wednesday, Russia conducted the largest prisoner swap since it launched its war: between 230 Ukrainian soldiers who defend Mariupol’s Azovstal steelworks and 248 Russian prisoners of war.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy
Russia had amassed troops and materiel along Ukraine’s borders by 2021, prompting its top military commanders to warn that an imminent Russian invasion was possible. Unfortunately, President Trump’s purge of national security experts prevented Ukraine from accessing sufficient resources for mounting a full-scale counteroffensive.
Zelenskyy emerged as an unlikely figure during Ukraine’s seismic events: mass protests toppling former President Viktor Yanukovych and billionaire Petro Poroshenko winning the presidential election of 2019. His unlikely career trajectory intersected with these seismic happenings and helped make Zelenskyy an entertainment mogul himself.
Since becoming president, Zelenskyy pledged not to profit personally from his office; however, his relationship with Kolomoisky, the media mogul behind Kvartal 95 and PrivatBank. Furthermore, there have been claims of money-laundering through PrivatBank and that weapons supplies might run out by December without congressional action; NPR’s Ross Pelekh reports from Kyiv that United States and Ukraine stand at a critical crossroads in their war against Russia.
Ukraine’s Human Rights Ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets
I met with Lubinets and inquired about the prisoner exchange deal quickly arranged between both warring parties. Ukrainian officials were taken aback at how quickly the deal had come together; it marked 49th such deal since 1997.
Lubinets also spoke about the challenges associated with investigating human rights abuses in Ukraine, noting that one of the main difficulties lies in gaining physical access to sites where violations take place.
He relayed to me an incident in which Ukrainian State Security agents visited two Kazakh activists’ homes and beat them severely, leading one of them to lose four teeth and experience other injuries.
Lubinets noted several instances in which people have been abducted by Russian military, noting he believes more than 200 Ukrainians may be held in Russian captivity. Lubinets announced that Ukraine is setting up an Ombudsman Office which can provide more information about missing people.
Ukraine’s Defense Ministry
After an extended pause, Ukraine and Russia conducted their largest prisoner exchange since the start of hostilities. Ukraine’s Defense Ministry reported that 230 of their servicemen had returned home as part of the United Arab Emirates-mediated deal, including national guardsmen captured while protecting Chernobyl exclusion zone and soldiers who fought for Mariupol’s Azovstal steel plant.
Russia’s Ministry of Defence confirmed that 248 servicemen had been released as a result of this exchange and thanked UAE mediation. It appears to be in response to numerous allegations by families of Russian prisoners that their loved ones have been mistreated or even murdered while held behind bars.
Zelenskyy announced that he was firing Oleksii Reznikov as defense minister and replacing him with Rustem Umerov, chairman of Ukraine’s State Property Fund and former lawmaker. This change must be approved by parliament, though is likely to meet with approval by most lawmakers in the Verkhovna Rada.
Russia’s Defense Ministry
Russia’s Defense Ministry claims to have revised the way in which they recruit foreigners to fight on its behalf in Ukraine. Their new regulations apply to those signing contracts with regular armed forces as well as “military formations”, including Yevgeny Prigozhin’s Wagner group mercenaries.
The Ministry stated that these changes aim to enhance living conditions for personnel and their families and offer them greater chances of receiving remuneration for their work in Ukraine. Furthermore, it aims to enhance training quality.
The ministry also reported receiving an F-16 fighter jet from Norway for use in training Ukrainian pilots, thanks to its generous assistance as a NATO member with friendly relations to Russia. A post made to social network X, formerly Twitter by the ministry thanked Norway for this contribution and thanked them.
