Russia, Ukraine Near Prisoner Swap Including Jailed Sailors

[Rogue Valley]

Russia, Ukraine Near Prisoner Swap Including Jailed Sailors – Reports

Kyiv and Moscow are reportedly preparing a prisoner exchange that would see each side swapping 33 detainees.

Kidnapped Ukraine sailors in a Moscow courtroom.

8/23/19
Russia and Ukraine have agreed to exchange as many as 66 prisoners held in both countries as soon as next week, including 24 Ukrainian sailors captured off the coast of Crimea last year, media outlets have reported. Russia holds dozens of Ukrainian captives following five years of conflict in eastern Ukraine, but it is unclear how many Russians are being held by Kiev. The Kremlin said Thursday it was in talks with Kiev on a possible prisoner exchange, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy’s key campaign promise this year. Russia and Ukraine are close to swapping 33 captives from each side, the RBC news website reported Thursday, citing an unnamed source familiar with the negotiations. Two sources from each side familiar with the details of the negotiations later confirmed the report with RBC. Jailed Russian-Ukrainian journalist Kirill Vyshinsky has refused to be exchanged, saying he wants to clear his name in Ukrainian court. Ukrainian filmmaker Oleg Sentsov, who is serving a 20-year prison sentence in Russia, has not been mentioned in the reported Russian-Ukrainian exchange lists.

The negotiations have been nicknamed 33-for-33. Ukraine Human Rights Ombudsperson Lyudmyla Denisova was in Moscow on Wednesday, and Russia Human Rights Ombudsperson Tatiana Moskalkova was in Kyiv yesterday. The swap reportedly includes the 24 Ukraine Navy sailors kidnapped on the high seas on 25 November 2018. On 26 May 2019 the International Maritime Court in the Hague ordered that the Ukraine sailors be released and their boats returned to Ukraine. Another five are reported to be the political prisoners Stanislav Klykh, Mykola Karpyuk, Oleksandr Kolchenko, Volodymyr Balukh, and Roman Sushchenko. It is unknown who the remaining four Ukraine prisoners will be, but it apparently does not include Ukraine filmmaker Oleg Sentsov whose release has been demanded by the US, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, and every nation in Europe. He is serving a 20 year sentence for protesting Russia's illegal occupation of Crimea. Sentsov lived in Crimea. There are at least 25 Ukrainian political prisoners still held by Russia, and ~40 Crimean Tatar political prisoners. Russia charges those who protest the illegal occupation of Crimea as "dangerous persons" and/or under "terrorism. There are also Ukrainian POW's held in the occupied territories of the Luhansk and Donetsk regions of eastern Ukraine.

Related: Ukraine, Russia Reportedly Preparing To Exchange Dozens Of Prisoners

 

[swing_voter]

It's a start. It also means things might be deescalating a little which is good.

 

[Rogue Valley]

It's a start. It also means things might be deescalating a little which is good.

This is perhaps a Putin gift to new Ukrainian president Volodmyr Zelenskyy, who told the people of Ukraine he would try to get Russia to release prisoners, and try to end the five year old war. That is all fine and good. But Zelenskyy has also been told by a majority of Ukrainians to not end the war on Putin's terms. Crimea must be returned and the Kremlin must remove all Russian troops and all Russian weapons from eastern Ukraine and stop meddling in Ukraine. Russia also owes Ukraine billions in reparations.

In legalese, Ukraine must be made "whole" again.

 

[Rogue Valley]

My sources in Ukraine say a prisoner swap is now ongoing, but not yet complete.

I will post the details after the government confirms success.

 

[Rogue Valley]

News organizations are beginning to gather at Zhulhany airport in Kyiv.

 

[Rogue Valley]

The government says a prisoner transfer (33 for 33) has not yet happened.

It could be the Kremlin is attempting last minute changes to the agreement.