Moscow twists POW deal after the fact – Ukrainian Ministry of Defense
Photo: The Ministry of Defense called on Russia not to interfere with the exchange of prisoners (Vitalii Nosach, RBC-Ukraine)
Ukraine calls on the Russian side not to create artificial obstacles and not to spread lies about the process of exchanging prisoners and returning the bodies of fallen soldiers, according to the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine.
The ministry emphasized that the Russians in Istanbul gave a clear promise – to conduct an exchange of seriously wounded, wounded, and prisoners of war under the age of 25 and to begin the phased repatriation of the bodies of the dead.
"The Ukrainian side, unfortunately, faced yet another attempt to ‘reinterpret’ the agreements after the fact. Suppose the Russian side is now refusing what was promised in Istanbul. In that case, this once again raises questions about the level and capacity of the Russian negotiating group," stated the Ministry of Defense.
In the ministry, they added that the agreements reached must be implemented exactly as discussed in Istanbul and during further technical consultations.
Exchange of prisoners between Ukraine and Russia
Previously, during the second round of negotiations in Istanbul, Ukraine and Russia reached an agreement on the exchange of the bodies of the dead on the principle of “6000 for 6000,” as well as on the transfer of wounded, seriously ill, and young prisoners of war.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated that he expects the start of the first stage of the exchange already this coming weekend. However, today, the head of the Russian delegation, Vladimir Medinsky, claimed that Ukraine allegedly postponed the exchange.
In response to this statement, the Coordination Headquarters on the Treatment of Prisoners of War explained what is really happening in the process of preparing the exchange.
