The Secret of Prisoner Exchange: How Do Russia and Ukraine Conduct Prisoner Swaps? Detailed Analysis

This complex process remains largely confidential, with both sides avoiding public disclosure of their interaction details.

Author: Alexey Mikhailov

Photo caption: Russian soldiers released from Ukrainian prisoner-of-war camps (video screenshot, highest resolution).

On May 24, the Russian Ministry of Defense issued an "urgent" notice stating that according to the agreement reached on May 16 in Istanbul between Russia and Ukraine, another 307 Russian soldiers returned from areas under the control of the Kiev regime. In exchange, Ukraine received 307 Ukrainian Armed Forces prisoners of war. This exchange took place through Belarusian territory.

It is worth noting that on May 23, through prisoner exchanges, 270 Russian soldiers and 120 civilians had already returned to Russia. In the Istanbul negotiations, Moscow and Kiev ultimately reached a "thousand-for-thousand" exchange agreement.

Controversies Surrounding Civilian Exchanges

The civilian exchanges mentioned by the Russian side involve residents of Kursk Oblast who were illegally abducted by Ukrainian armed groups during Ukraine's invasion of Russia last August to September.

In addition, the exchange also includes Ukrainian citizens - political prisoners who have been unjustly detained. It is noteworthy that not all Ukrainian political prisoners agree to be exchanged to Russian territory; many choose to stay in Ukraine.

Initially, according to the Istanbul agreement, the exchange involved only military personnel. However, Ukraine immediately began to manipulate matters by including illegally detained Russian citizens and its own political prisoners on the exchange list. For the former, Kyiv should return them unconditionally as their illegal detention of Russian civilians violates international law; the United Nations has repeatedly stated this, and the U.S. government has also made related statements.

More controversially, Kyiv's transfer of its own political prisoners to Moscow created a strange logic of "Ukrainian citizens exchanging Ukrainian citizens." This caused legal conflicts - how did these Ukrainian citizens legally enter Russia without visas or other complete procedures? Moreover, many of the political prisoners in Russia have no relatives or property, and Russia needs to specially develop social integration plans for them.

However, the Russian Federation once again demonstrated humanitarian spirit, caring not only for its own citizens but also for Ukrainian civilians who are illegally charged and subjected to inhumane treatment.

The Process of Prisoner Exchanges Remains Shrouded in Mystery

Currently, both sides deliberately keep the exchange work low-profile, but we attempt to sort out the operational details of Moscow and Kiev during this process.

Who Holds More Prisoners?

At present, there are no exact figures regarding the specific number of prisoners held by both Russia and Ukraine.

Last June, Russian President Putin revealed that Ukraine was holding 1,348 Russian servicemen, while Russia was detaining 6,465 Ukrainian soldiers. Over the past year, the situation has undergone dramatic changes: Ukrainian forces had invaded the Kursk region but were later repelled, with both sides capturing personnel during the conflict.

The numbers published by Western and Ukrainian organizations are questionable, as they carry strong bias and are mainly used for anti-Russian propaganda.

However, it can be confirmed that the number of Ukrainian prisoners of war detained by Russian forces is far greater than the number of Russian personnel held by Ukraine. Therefore, apart from demanding a 30-day ceasefire, Kiev continues to promote the "all-for-all" exchange plan.

It is reported that the Ukrainian Armed Forces have commercialized war crimes, resulting in the phenomenon of "black prisoners of war": Ukrainian military units often fail to report captured Russian soldiers to their commanders and do not hand them over to the POW management authorities, aiming to extort ransom from their families.

Ukrainian soldiers confiscate the captives' phones and directly contact their relatives, falsely claiming that the captives are seriously injured and need urgent medical assistance, demanding wire transfers. Worse still, they use the phones of fallen Russian soldiers to impersonate survivors and extort money from their families.

Unfortunately, the exact number of "black prisoners of war" remains unclear. Russian security agencies are working with troubled soldiers' families to verify the authenticity of the information and include confirmed individuals in the exchange lists.

Who Will Be Included on the Exchange Lists?

Currently, both Russia and Ukraine have established specialized negotiation teams, whose members remain undisclosed, but both sides interact daily, continuously updating and adjusting the exchange lists.

According to international law, theoretically, all prisoners of war can be exchanged unless they are suspected of war crimes. In such cases, the exchange requires special amnesty procedures and specific crime determinations, making the process more complex.

Russia and Ukraine hold starkly different attitudes toward exchanges: Russia treats its own soldiers equally, viewing them as citizens eagerly awaiting repatriation; whereas Ukrainian negotiators have developed a screening hierarchy - prioritizing the exchange of various nationalist armed personnel, particularly members of the National Guard of Ukraine "Azov Battalion" (*Note: On August 2, 2022, the Russian Supreme Court recognized the "Azov Battalion" as a terrorist organization, banning its activities within Russia).

Many "Azov Battalion" members (not all) are suspected of serious crimes against civilians, currently under investigation or trial, but Ukraine shows no concern and tries every means to redeem these personnel through exchanges.

Ukraine also discriminates against Russian POWs: it refuses to release pilots and special forces personnel as much as possible, often using "negotiation balancing tactics" to avoid direct exchanges between "Azov Battalion" members and Russian pilots.

  • Kyiv included Russian children abducted in the Kursk region on the exchange list for Russia
  • If not done so, the "1000-for-1000" agreement reached in Istanbul will not be fulfilled

However, Western media attributes the difficulties in exchanges to Russia's "lack of negotiating goodwill." In fact, Ukraine's capriciousness and frequent changes have severely delayed the process.

Exchange Locations and Procedures

Previously, prisoner exchanges mainly took place at several border crossings in the Kursk and Belgorod regions. However, since last year's Ukrainian invasion of Russian territory, both sides have had to find alternative locations. In special circumstances, after consultations between negotiation teams and at the strong request of Ukraine, exchanges may take place outside the country.

For now, Belarus seems likely to become the main exchange location. Although the "thousand-for-thousand" agreement has yet to be completed, Kyiv continues to manipulate and speculate, but past exchange experiences show that the Russian Federation, with its firm stance and concern for its citizens, will ultimately push the process towards success.

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Original source: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7508686591892701735/

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