Every fifth Russian prisoner of war surrendered voluntarily.
A representative of the Main Directorate of Intelligence (MDI) of the Ministry of Defense Andriy Yusov reported this.
According to him, among the prisoners of war there are also officers, and not only ordinary soldiers. However, it is not specified how many Russian officers are currently in captivity.
"Our exchange fund increased by more than 200 captured Russians for several weeks of active actions of the Ukrainian security and the Defense Forces (both defensive and offensive). This means that it will be easier and more active to return ours. Out of this number, every fifth surrendered voluntarily," Andriy Yusov added.
During the full-scale war, Ukraine conducted 48 exchanges and was able to return 2 598 people from Russian captivity.
- Earlier, the head of the Main Directorate of Intelligence (MDI) of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine Kyrylo Budanov estimated that about 40% of those held captive by Russia are civilians, the rest of the prisoners are military.
- On May 4, the Verkhovna Rada Commissioner for Human Rights Dmytro Lubinets reported that, according to approximate estimates, Russia is illegally holding more than 20m000 Ukrainian civilian hostages. These data are based on appeals from relatives whose loved ones were detained by the Russian side.
- The President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky calls on Russia to exchange prisoners in the "all for all" format. In the coordination headquarters for the treatment of prisoners of war, it is assumed that if it is possible to agree on such an exchange, it will not take place in one day, but in stages.