Russia speaks out about the exchange of Ukrainian prisoners

POW exchange is in effect within the military, which means any potential request for exchange of Ukrainian prisoners from the Azovstal factory in Mariupol, to Russian prisoners of war, will have to go through the Ministry of Defense, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov stressed on May 23.

According to RT, when asked by the media about the detained Ukrainian opposition leader Viktor Medvedchuk, Peskov reiterated that Russia has no intention of communicating despite requests from politicians on this issue.

“Medvedchuk is a Ukrainian citizen, has nothing to do with Russia and is not a soldier,” Kremlin spokesman Peskov noted. Azov battalion of the National Guard of Ukraine “is a different category”.

Mr. Medvedchuk was once the largest opposition leader in the Ukrainian parliament. Medvedchuk is famous for having extensive ties with Russia. He is under house arrest by the SBU, Ukraine’s domestic security agency.

On May 23, the SBU released a video of Mr Medvedchuk in which he demanded to be exchanged for “the defenders and inhabitants of Mariupol”.

The people he mentioned were Ukrainian soldiers entrenched in Azovstal, The steel mill was built solidly in the port city of Mariupol. Ukrainian forces surrendered last week. Moscow arrested nearly 2,500 people, including members of the Azov battalion.

Ukrainian officials called it an “evacuation” and announced the soldiers would be exchanged for Russian prisoners held by Ukraine. Officials signaled that Kiev had agreed to a swap deal with Moscow before President Zelensky ordered the army to lay down its weapons. Russia does not confirm the statement of Ukraine.