Return of Ukrainian prisoners. Budanov reveals principles of Coordination Headquarters' work
A Council of Public Organizations is being established at the Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War, and the principles of the department's work regarding exchanges were also agreed upon, announced the head of the Main Intelligence Directorate, Kyrylo Budanov, at a press conference following the results of the meeting of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief's Staff.
On Thursday, the strategy for the return of Ukrainians from Russian captivity was presented at the Supreme Commander-in-Chief's Staff.
Budanov noted that the Council of Public Organizations at the Coordination Headquarters is now being created – all associations representing the interests of Ukrainian prisoners are invited.
The Coordination HQ adds that for participation, public organizations need to send an official application to the mailbox: koord@gur.gov.ua.
The spymaster announced that this Council will be formed "in the near future".
Budanov also reported on the principles by which negotiations on the release of prisoners will be conducted:
→ return all the seriously injured and seriously ill first;
→ secondly, return of all women;
→ thirdly, to return all those who have been in captivity for a long time;
→ fourth, pay special attention to the return of all those who defended Mariupol and were at Azovstal;
"In the same way, we will make every effort to return all other civilian prisoners who have been in captivity both since the beginning of the full-scale invasion and before its beginning. And there are already some who have been there for about ten years," Budanov said.
The Coordination Headquarters is also paying attention to the release from captivity of the Crimean Tatars and other such groups of prisoners, noted the head of the HUR.
On August 14, after communicating with the Russian Commissioner Tatiana Moskalkova, the Ukrainian Ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets stated that against the background of the operation in Kursk Oblast, Russia initiated a conversation with Ukraine regarding the exchange of prisoners of war.
The next day, Lubinets said that the operation of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in Kursk Oblast improved the situation regarding the return of Ukrainian prisoners of war to their homes, but the presence of a dialogue with the Russian Federation does not mean that the exchange will definitely take place in the near future.
During the operation in Kursk Oblast, SBU special forces captured 102 Russians, including officers and representatives of the Akhmat unit. The head of the Security Service of Ukraine announced that the prisoners will first testify and undergo appropriate procedures – and after that, negotiations will take place with Russia about their exchange.