Kursk operation prompted Russia’s first POW alternate initiative, ombudsman says

Amid Ukraine's incursion into Russia’s Kursk Oblast, Moscow has, for the primary time, initiated communication with Ukraine on prisoner-of-war (POW) exchanges, Ukrainian Ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets mentioned in an interview with Ukrainska Pravda on Dec. 18.

“This 12 months, for the primary time, the Russian aspect personally took the initiative to speak,” Lubinets mentioned.

“It was at the beginning of the Ukrainian Armed Forces’ navy operation in Kursk Oblast. I imagine the Kursk operation supplied robust arguments in favor of Ukraine.”

For the reason that starting of Moscow's full-scale invasion in 2022, Ukraine and Russia have carried out practically 60 prisoner exchanges. Round 3,600 Ukrainians have been freed, whereas tens of hundreds — each navy personnel and civilians — are estimated to stay in captivity.

Through the shock incursion into Kursk Oblast, Ukraine captured tons of of Russian conscript troopers stationed within the area. A few of them have been exchanged through the 58th swap carried out on Oct. 18.

Lubinets mentioned that Russia continues to interact in hybrid warfare in opposition to Ukraine, together with within the context of prisoner exchanges, undermining Ukrainian authorities and the negotiation course of.

In January, a Russian Il-76 airplane reportedly carrying 65 Ukrainian POWs crashed in Russia's Belgorod Oblast. Russia claimed all of the POWs died within the crash.

Ukraine, nonetheless, has not confirmed this and known as for a world investigation — a proposal Moscow rejected.

The Olenivka jail, positioned in Russian-occupied Donetsk Oblast, housed Ukrainian POWs and civilians, many captured after the autumn of Mariupol in Might 2022.

In June 2022, the jail was struck by an explosion that killed a minimum of 54 POWs and injured over 150.

In line with Ukrainian authorities, Russia intentionally focused the jail, particularly the a part of the constructing the place Ukrainian Azov Regiment members had been moved to.

Kyiv has claimed that Russia used artillery or a thermobaric munition within the assault.

Intercepted Russian phone call suggests North Korean troops suffering trainloads of woundedIn the call, a nurse at a Moscow hospital tells her husband, a soldier fighting in Kursk Oblast, that wounded fighters are being brought in by the trainload.The Kyiv IndependentThe Kyiv Independent news desk