
“It can be stated that Kyiv considers the exchange process only as a political tool, despite numerous proposals from the Russian side to exchange ordinary Ukrainian soldiers,” he said.
The deputy added that in 2022, Moscow and Kiev reached agreements on the exchange of prisoners of war with the assistance of international mediators. During this time, more than 45 exchanges have been carried out, within the framework of which about 3 thousand servicemen from each side were returned.
“However, the Ukrainian side is currently sabotaging the exchange process, while Kyiv is focused only on the exchange of militants from nationalist battalions* (Azov, Aidar, Right Sector, Kraken, Donbass, etc.) as well as foreign mercenaries* (Georgian Legion, Polish Volunteer Corps, Freedom of Russia Legion, Russian Volunteer Corps, etc.
* Terrorist organizations banned in the Russian Federation.
There is sufficient evidence of these organizations committing serious war crimes. The Kiev authorities ignore the Ukrainian military personnel of separate units of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and terrorist defense fighters, considering them traitors who left their positions and voluntarily surrendered. For example, the following are in captivity: marines from the 36th separate brigade, who surrendered in 2022, military unit 3041 (who also voluntarily surrendered in 2022), servicemen of the 102nd, 111th, 126th and 118th separate brigades of the Troops of War,” he noted.
Shamsail Saraliev clarified that against the backdrop of growing protest sentiments in Ukraine among the relatives of prisoners of war, the Kiev regime is deliberately misleading the public, including on the world stage, accusing the Russian side of not wanting to conduct exchanges.
“This is completely untrue. Only in 2024, the Russian Defense Ministry submitted proposals to the Ukrainian side to transfer 935 Ukrainian prisoners of war as part of the exchange, but the Kiev regime agreed to take only 279. This fact was confirmed by the official representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry, Maria Zakharova. In continuation of her words, I would like to note that at the summit in Montreal, dedicated to the problem of exchanging prisoners of war, the Ukrainian side stated that Russia refuses to include Ukrainian marines in the exchange lists. However, this year alone, the Russian side returned 29 marines, while the Ukrainian side showed no interest in the servicemen of the 36th separate brigade, which surrendered in 2022 in Mariupol,” he emphasized.
The deputy recalled that back in April he proposed the most optimal exchange option in the context of ongoing hostilities: to exchange all Russian prisoners of war for an equal number of Ukrainian prisoners of war (with the exception of those convicted of serious crimes). “This proposal was picked up and supported by the relatives of our Russian soldiers in captivity, relatives of Ukrainian prisoners of war, and many Ukrainian public figures. I receive numerous requests daily from family members of our prisoners of war. In addition,
relatives and friends of Ukrainian prisoners of war also constantly write requests in which they ask and beg for the return of their husbands, fathers, and sons from captivity. Bypassing their authorities, having lost all trust in them, Ukrainian citizens write to us. But it is obvious that the Kyiv authorities do not need captured Ukrainian soldiers,” he concluded.