Thousands of Ukrainians remain in Russian captivity - Representative of Ukrainian Intelligence
Photo: representative of the Defense Intelligence of Ukraine Andrii Yusov (Vitalii Nosach, RBC-Ukraine).
Ukraine has managed to secure the release of 4,000 citizens from Russian captivity. However, thousands more remain imprisoned, including both military personnel and civilians, stated Andrii Yusov, a representative of the Ukrainian Defense Intelligence.
According to Andrii Yusov, almost 4,000 Ukrainians have already been returned from Russian captivity.
“Unfortunately, we are still talking about thousands of others, and we need to fight for them, both military and civilians. Civilians are a separate large block, and even international humanitarian law does not always provide answers to questions,” Yusov said.
He also pointed out that, following World War II, when the international security architecture was being created, few could imagine that Europe and the modern world would be talking about thousands of abducted civilians taken to foreign territory.
“The detainees are being held without even an imitation of the compliance with the so-called legislation of the Russian Federation. They are just prisoners, they are hostages. These are medieval practices that should pass into history. Unfortunately, this is not the case. And the massive nature of the struggle against Ukrainian identity and Ukrainian culture is taking place,” he added.
Prisoner exchange
On August 15, the strategy for the return of prisoners was presented at the Staff of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief.
The plan includes expanding the negotiation group responsible for preparing prisoner exchanges by adding six new organizations.
Kyrylo Budanov, head of the Ukrainian Defense Intelligence, stated that future exchanges with Russia will prioritize severely wounded individuals, women, and those who defended Azovstal.
Recently, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said that a country is willing to act as a protector state to help Ukrainians in Russian captivity, although he did not specify which country it is.
