Ukraine and Russia have exchanged military prisoners, the largest since the start of the offensive in late February, an announcement that comes after Vladimir Putin mobilized hundreds of thousands of reservists to relaunch his offensive in Ukraine. “We managed to free 215 people,” said the head of the Ukrainian presidential administration, Andriy Yermak, on Wednesday night.
Azovstal defenders transferred to Russia
Kyiv in particular recovered 188 “heroes” who defended the Azovstal steelworks in Mariupol, a symbol of resistance to the Russian invasion, and this southern city, including 108 members of the Azov regiment. Five military commanders, including the Azovstal defense chiefs, have been transferred to Turkey, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has said. They will remain in this country “in absolute safety and in comfortable conditions” until “the end of the war” under the terms of an agreement with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, according to the Ukrainian head of state.
Russia has recovered 55 prisoners, including former parliamentarian Viktor Medvedchuk, a close associate of Russian President Vladimir Putin, accused of high treason in Ukraine, Mr Zelensky said in his daily address. Ten prisoners of war, including five British and two Americans, whose transfer from Russia to Saudi Arabia earlier in the day as part of an exchange between Moscow and Ukraine had been announced by Saudi diplomacy, are part of this exchange, he noted.
This announcement comes a few hours after the order for the partial mobilization of reservists given by Vladimir Putin, which caused impromptu demonstrations in at least 38 cities in Russia and the arrest of at least 1,332 people. These are the largest protests in Russia since those that followed the announcement of the Russian offensive in Ukraine.
Source: BFM TV
