Ukraine has announced the largest prisoner exchange since Russia’s invasion, securing the release of 144 of its troops, including 95 who were defending the Azovstal steel plant in Mariupol.
“This is the largest exchange since the start of the full-scale Russian invasion,” Ukrainian military intelligence said in a statement to Telegram on Wednesday. “Out of 144 released, 95 are defenders of Azovstal.
It added that most of the released Ukrainians had serious injuries, including burns and amputations, and were now receiving medical treatment.
A pro-Russian separatist leader confirmed the exchange of prisoners, saying 144 Russian and separatist soldiers had been returned to Russia.
“We handed over to Kyiv the same number of prisoners from the Ukrainian armed forces, most of whom were wounded. Our main task is to save the fighters who took part in a special military operation, “said Denis Pushilin, leader of the pro-Russian separatist Donbass People’s Republic.
Pushilin added that some of the released Ukrainian soldiers were part of “nationalist battalions.”
There was no comment from Moscow on the exchange of prisoners.
More than a thousand Azovstal defenders were transferred to Russian-held territory in May after surrendering to Moscow at the end of a three-month siege. The fate of the soldiers remains a significant concern for officials in Kyiv, who have said they will be exchanged for prisoners.
Among Azovstal’s defenders exchanged on Wednesday, Ukraine said, there were 43 members of the Azov Regiment, a battalion that played a central role in justifying Russia’s invasion.
The Azov Regiment was formed in 2014 as a voluntary militia to fight Russian-backed forces in eastern Ukraine, and many of its original members held far-right extremist views. Since then, the unit has been integrated into the Ukrainian National Guard, and the regiment has now denied being a fascist, racist or neo-Nazi.
Russian state media used the existence of a regiment as proof of its false claim that the Ukrainian state was infected with Nazism, as Russian President Vladimir Putin promised to “disinfect” the country.
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After the capture of Azov’s soldiers in Mariupol, a number of Russian officials said they should face trial and even execution. Several lawmakers in Russia’s State Duma have also said they will propose new laws that could thwart the exchange of captive fighters, whom Moscow claims are “terrorists.”
The decision to exchange prisoners was met with anger by some Russian military bloggers and pro-war politicians.
Andrei Medvedev, a Moscow Duma lawmaker and state news journalist, joined his Telegram to ask for “answers” about the exchange.
“Why did we have to change Azov’s soldiers? Wasn’t there anyone else we could trade? ”
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