Ukraine and Russia exchange nearly 300 prisoners in major swap

Europe, News September 23, 2022 , by IRIA No Comments

Ukraine and Russia have conducted a significant prisoner swap in which nearly 215 fighters and civilians were returned to Ukraine in exchange for freeing 55 Russian soldiers and Putin’s key ally Viktor Medvedchuk.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy lauded the development as “215 pieces of good news.” He said, “We are bringing our people home. This is clearly a victory for our state, for our entire society. And most importantly, for 215 families who will be able to see their loved ones in safety.”

In return, Ukraine released 55 Russian fighters and Viktor Medvedchuk – a Ukrainian politician who is considered a close friend of Russian President Vladimir Putin, who is the godfather to Medvedchuk’s daughter. He was captured in April.

The prison swap deal was hammered out with the help of Saudi Arabia and Turkey and involved intense haggling. Experts said that “Saudi Arabia and Turkey seem to have a new era of cooperation” after the deal brokered with the involvement of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Zelenskyy thanked Turkish President Erdogan for his help. “We remember all our people and try to save every Ukrainian. This is the meaning of Ukraine, our essence, this is what distinguishes us from the enemy.”

^{Ukrainian soldiers released in a prisoner exchange between Russia and Ukraine, hold the Ukrainian flag close to Chernihiv, Ukraine, late September 21, 2022 (Image Credit: Ukrainian Security Service Press Office)}

Those released include prisoners of war from countries including two citizens of the United States, five from the United Kingdom, and one each from Morocco, Sweden, and Croatia. Some of them had been sentenced to death after being captured in Ukraine and accused of being mercenaries.

British Prime Minister Liz Truss welcome that “five British nationals held by Russian-backed proxies in eastern Ukraine are being safely returned, ending months of uncertainty and suffering for them and their families.” Truss thanked Zelenskyyy for his efforts and Saudi Arabia for their assistance in releasing the prisoners, and she added that Russia “must end the ruthless exploitation of prisoners of war and civilian detainees for political ends.”

Hugely welcome news that five British nationals held by Russian-backed proxies in eastern Ukraine are being safely returned, ending months of uncertainty and suffering for them and their families.
— Liz Truss (@trussliz) September 21, 2022

The dramatic exchange was announced hours after Putin said he had ordered the mobilization of 300,000 military reservists to bolster Kremlin’s battlefield losses over the past seven months.

U.S. veterans freed in major prisoner swap

Two U.S. military veterans, held captive for months by Russian-backed separatists in Ukraine, were also among 10 foreign prisoners released under prisoner exchange between Moscow and Kyiv.

Alexander J. Drueke, 40, and Andy Tai Huynh, 28, both of Alabama, were captured in June near the city of Kharkiv. They are among the hundreds of Westerners who traveled to Ukraine and took up arms against Russian forces. Their families said in a joint statement that both are “safely in the custody of the U.S. embassy in Saudi Arabia and after medical checks and debriefing they will return to the states.”

^{U.S. Marine Corps veteran Andy Tai Huynh (left) and U.S. Army veteran Alexander Drueke went missing in Ukraine in June. (Image Credit: Joy Black and Lois Drueke via AP)}

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a statement that the United States “is appreciative of Ukraine including all prisoners of war, regardless of nationality, in its negotiations, and we look forward to these U.S. citizens being reunited with their families.” Blinken also thanked Saudi partners for securing the release which he called a “humanitarian initiative.”

President Joe Biden’s national security adviser Jake Sullivan welcomed the releases and thanked the governments of Ukraine, Saudi Arabia and Turkey for facilitating to secure the freedom of detainees. “We look forward to our citizens being reunited with their families,” he said in a tweet.

I would like to thank the Turkish government for
helping facilitate the exchange of prisoners between Ukraine and Russia, building on their leadership on the grain deal.
— Jake Sullivan (@JakeSullivan46) September 22, 2022