Largest-ever Ukrainian-Russian prisoner swap comes under fire for lacking Azov fighters, civilians
Colonel Denys Prokopenko, commander of the Azov National Guard Brigade, described the exchange as a "mockery" due to the lack of fighters from the Azov Brigade, in a post on Facebook.
In the past, Ukrainian authorities have said that Russia has pushed back against their requests to return Azov fighters as part of earlier exchanges.
Ukrainian society has rallied for captured Azov fighters who defended the Azovstal Steel Plant in Mariupol during the Russian siege of the port city in 2022. The battle, one of the most brutal of the entire war, is credited with buying time for the Ukrainian Armed Forces to prepare itself and receive international military aid against Russia's invasion during the initial phase of the war.
Azovstal defenders were ordered to surrender to the encircling Russian forces after nearly two months of constant bombardment of the besieged plant. While hundreds of these fighters have been released since 2022, hundreds more remain in captivity.
Prokopenko said that Ukraine needs to change its tactics, writing, "There are options, we just need to adapt and start looking for new ways and configurations. Because not a single Azov resident among 1,000 exchanged people is a shame for our entire state."
Separately, writer and journalist Stanislav Aseyev criticized the exchange on Facebook for failing to include civilians who have spent more than eight years in captivity.
"The list of hostages that I handed over to President (Volodymyr) Zelensky back in January 2020 has remained a list," Aseyev wrote.
"The vast majority of these people are in the 32nd maximum security colony in Makiivka, where they were taken after Isolation and from other prisons. Some of these people actively helped our special services," he added. "I don't know if there is anyone in the history of this war for 11 years who has been in prison longer," he added.
Zelensky, following the exchange pledged to "bring back every single one of our people from Russian captivity."
Ukraine has long advocated for an "all-for-all" exchange, but Russia has so far rejected the proposal.
The three days of prisoner exchanges were negotiated by Ukraine and Russia in Istanbul on May 16th, during the first direct talks between the two countries in three years.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov announced on May 23 that Moscow will convey its peace terms to Kyiv immediately after the completion of the prisoner exchange.
While Moscow's list of conditions have yet to be revealed, Russia has repeatedly reiterated maximalist demands, including that Ukraine accept the loss of Crimea and four eastern regions.
We've been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
San Francisco Chronicle
an hour ago
- San Francisco Chronicle
Russia and Ukraine hold fast to their demands ahead of a planned Putin-Trump summit
The threats, pressure and ultimatums have come and gone, but Russian President Vladimir Putin has maintained Moscow's uncompromising demands in the war in Ukraine, raising fears he could use a planned summit with U.S. President Donald Trump in Alaska to coerce Kyiv into accepting an unfavorable deal. The maximalist demands reflect Putin's determination to reach the goals he set when he launched the full-scale invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022. Putin sees a possible meeting with Trump as a chance to negotiate a broad deal that would not only cement Russia's territorial gains but also keep Ukraine from joining NATO and hosting any Western troops, allowing Moscow to gradually pull the country back into its orbit. The Kremlin leader believes time is on his side as the exhausted and outgunned Ukrainian forces are struggling to stem Russian advances in many sectors of the over 1,000-kilometer (over 600-mile) front line while swarms of Russian missiles and drones batter Ukrainian cities. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy also has stood firm in his positions, agreeing to a ceasefire proposed by Trump while reaffirming the country's refusal to abandon seeking NATO membership and rejecting acknowledgment of Russia's annexation of any of its regions. A look at Russian and Ukrainian visions of a peace deal and how a Putin-Trump summit could evolve: In a memorandum presented at talks in Istanbul in June, Russia offered Ukraine two options for establishing a 30-day ceasefire. One demanded Ukraine withdraw its forces from Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson — the four regions Moscow illegally annexed in September 2022 but never fully captured. As an alternate condition for a ceasefire, Russia made a 'package proposal' for Ukraine to halt mobilization efforts, freeze Western arms deliveries and ban any third-country forces on its soil. Moscow also suggested Ukraine end martial law and hold elections, after which the countries could sign a comprehensive peace treaty. Once there's a truce, Moscow wants a deal to include the 'international legal recognition' of its annexations of Ukraine's Crimean Peninsula in 2014 and the four regions in 2022. Russia says a peace treaty should have Ukraine declare its neutral status between Russia and the West, abandon its bid to join NATO, limit the size of its armed forces and recognize Russian as an official language on par with Ukrainian -– conditions reflecting Putin's earliest goals. It also demands Ukraine ban the 'glorification and propaganda of Nazism and neo-Nazism' and dissolve nationalist groups. Since the war began, Putin has falsely alleged that neo-Nazi groups were shaping Ukrainian politics under Zelenskyy, who is Jewish. They were fiercely dismissed by Kyiv and its Western allies. In Russia's view, a comprehensive peace treaty should see both countries lift all sanctions and restrictions, abandon any claims to compensation for wartime damage, resume trade and communications, and reestablish diplomatic ties. Asked Thursday whether Moscow has signaled any willingness to compromise to make a meeting with Trump possible, Putin's foreign affairs adviser Yuri Ushakov responded that there haven't been any shifts in the Russian position. Ukraine's position The memorandum that Ukraine presented to Moscow in Istanbul emphasized the need for a full and unconditional 30-day ceasefire to set stage for peace negotiations. It reaffirmed Ukraine's consistent rejection of Russian demands for neutral status as an attack on its sovereignty, declaring it is free to choose its alliances and adding that its NATO membership will depend on consensus with the alliance. It emphasized Kyiv's rejection of any restrictions on the size and other parameters of its armed forces, as well as curbs on the presence of foreign troops on its soil. Ukraine's memorandum also opposed recognizing any Russian territorial gains, while describing the current line of contact as a starting point in negotiations. The document noted the need for international security guarantees to ensure the implementation of peace agreements and prevent further aggression. Kyiv's peace proposal also demanded the return of all deported and illegally displaced children and a total prisoner exchange. It held the door open to gradual lifting of some of the sanctions against Russia if it abides by the agreement. Trump's positions Trump has often spoken admiringly of Putin and even echoed his talking points on the war. He had a harsh confrontation with Zelenskyy in the Oval Office on Feb. 28, but later warmed his tone. As Putin resisted a ceasefire and continued his aerial bombardments, Trump showed exasperation with the Kremlin leader, threatening Moscow with new sanctions. Although Trump expressed disappointment with Putin, his agreement to meet him without Zelenskyy at the table raised worries in Ukraine and its European allies, who fear it could allow the Russian to get Trump on his side and strong-arm Ukraine into concessions. Trump said without giving details that 'there'll be some swapping of territories, to the betterment of both' Russia and Ukraine as part of any peace deal that he will discuss with Putin when they meet Friday. Putin repeatedly warned Ukraine will face tougher conditions for peace if it doesn't accept Moscow's demands as Russian troops forge into other regions to build what he described as a 'buffer zone.' Some observers suggested Russia could trade those recent gains for the territories of the four annexed by Moscow still under Ukrainian control. 'That is potentially a situation that gives Putin a tremendous amount of leeway as long as he can use that leverage to force the Ukrainians into a deal that they may not like and to sideline the Europeans effectively,' Sam Greene of King's College London said. 'The question is, will Trump sign up to that and will he actually have the leverage to force the Ukrainians and the Europeans to accept it?' Putin could accept a temporary truce to win Trump's sympathy as he seeks to achieve broader goals, Greene said. 'He could accept a ceasefire so long as it's one that leaves him in control, in which there's no real deterrence against renewed aggression somewhere down the line,' he said. 'He understands that his only route to getting there runs via Trump." In a possible indication he thinks a ceasefire or peace deal could be close, Putin called the leaders of China, India, South Africa and several ex-Soviet nations in an apparent effort to inform these allies about prospective agreements. Tatiana Stanovaya of the Carnegie Russia and Eurasia Center argued Putin wouldn't budge on his goals. 'However these conditions are worded, they amount to the same demand: Ukraine stops resisting, the West halts arms supplies, and Kyiv accepts Russia's terms, which effectively amount to a de facto capitulation,' she posted on X. 'The Russian side can frame this in a dozen different ways, creating the impression that Moscow is open to concessions and serious negotiation. It has been doing so for some time, but the core position remains unchanged: Russia wants Kyiv to surrender.' She predicted Putin might agree to meet Zelenskyy but noted the Kremlin leader would only accept such a meeting 'if there is a prearranged agenda and predetermined outcomes, which remains difficult to imagine.' 'The likely scenario is that this peace effort will fail once again,' she said. 'This would be a negative outcome for Ukraine, but it would not deliver Ukraine to Putin on a plate either, at least not in the way he wants it. The conflict, alternating between open warfare and periods of simmering tension, appears likely to persist for the foreseeable future.'
Epoch Times
2 hours ago
- Epoch Times
European Leaders Call for Protection of Ukraine as Trump Set to Meet Putin
Russia-Ukraine War 'We share the conviction that a diplomatic solution must protect Ukraine's and Europe's vital security interests,' the leaders said. A coalition of European leaders released a joint statement on Aug. 9 welcoming the news of President Donald Trump's upcoming meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska, and stressing the need to ensure that European and Ukrainian interests are protected as the two leaders talk about ending the ongoing conflict in Ukraine. Trump and Putin are scheduled to meet in Alaska on Aug. 15.
The Hill
3 hours ago
- The Hill
Putin's Ukraine land pitch sparks firm European response ahead of Trump summit
Russian President Vladimir Putin's reported proposal for a ceasefire in Ukraine, which would require Kyiv to cede regions in the east, sparked a firm response from European leaders on Saturday ahead of President Trump's summit with the Kremlin leader in Alaska next week. The seven European leaders welcomed Trump's efforts to negotiate a ceasefire as part of an effort to permanently end the nearly three-and-a-half-year war in Eastern Europe, but argued that 'only' an approach that mixes support for Ukraine, 'active' diplomacy and additional pressure on Moscow can lead to peace on the front lines. 'We stand ready to support this work diplomatically as well as by upholding our substantive military and financial support to Ukraine, including through the work of the Coalition of the Willing, and by upholding and imposing restrictive measures against the Russian Federation,' the European officials said in a lengthy, joint statement on Saturday, adding that a resolution 'must protect Ukraine's and Europe's vital security interests.' The statement was signed by French President Emmanuel Macron, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen and Finnish President Alexander Stubb. Putin presented a ceasefire proposal to Trump's special envoy Steve Witkoff during their Wednesday meeting in Moscow, their fifth gathering this year. While not all the details are clear, the Russian leader reportedly suggested that Ukraine withdraw its armed forces from the Donetsk region, along with Luhansk, to place both sides on a path to a ceasefire. In that case, Russia would fully control Donetsk, Luhansk and Crimea, a peninsula Moscow annexed in 2014. Trump signaled Friday at the White House that he is open to land swaps as part of a potential peace deal. Hours later, the president revealed that he would be meeting with Putin next Friday. 'We're going to get some back, and we're going to get some switched. There'll be some swapping of territories to the betterment of both,' the president told reporters when asked about negotiations. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky dismissed the idea of Ukraine cede large chunks of it's land as part of the talks, saying Saturday morning that 'of course, we will not give Russia any awards for what it has done.' 'The Ukrainian people deserve peace,' he said, emphasizing that 'Ukrainians will not give their land to an occupier.' European leaders reiterated their calls for Ukraine to have 'credible' security guarantees as part of the peace talks to 'defend its sovereignty and territorial integrity.' 'Ukraine has the freedom of choice over its own destiny. Meaningful negotiations can only take place in the context of a ceasefire or reduction of hostilities,' the leaders said on Saturday. 'The path to peace in Ukraine cannot be decided without Ukraine.' The group also emphasized their commitment to the notion that 'international borders must not be changed by force' and that the 'current line of contact should be the starting point' of the peace talks. Vice President Vance, UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy, Ukraine representatives and European allies met in Kent, England to discuss Trump's efforts to forge peace in Eastern Europe on Saturday. Zelensky's top adviser, Andriy Yermak, who attended the meeting, along with Ukraine's Secretary of National Security and Defense Council, Rustem Umerov, said the current front lines should not be considered borders if the eventual peace deal is reached. 'Our positions were clear: a reliable, lasting peace is only possible with Ukraine at the negotiating table, with full respect for our sovereignty and without recognizing the occupation. A ceasefire is necessary — but the front line is not a border,' Yermak said on social media. 'Our partners support us not only in words — assistance will continue in the military, financial, and sanctions spheres until the aggression stops,' he added, thanking Vance for 'respecting all points of view, and for his efforts toward a reliable peace.' In response to Putin's ceasefire outline this week, European leaders offered a counterproposal, one brought up during the meetings in England, which reportedly stated that a ceasefire must take place before any other concessions advance and that territorial swaps must be reciprocal — meaning if Ukraine pulls out of some territories, Russia's military must do the same. A U.S. official told NewsNation that meetings in Kent yielded 'significant progress' toward Trump's goal of ending the Russia-Ukraine war. Meanwhile, the White House is considering inviting Zelensky to the summit in Alaska. The administration signaled it is open to host a meeting between Trump, Putin and Zelensky, but noted that it is still planning a bilateral meeting between just the president and Kremlin leader. European leaders, in their Saturday statement, said they will continue to cooperate 'closely' with Trump, the U.S. and Zelensky to achieve a peace deal in Ukraine.
