During the Russian-Ukrainian war, both sides negotiated and, luckily, reached agreement on many prisoner exchanges. The one can hear in the media how some experts urge to dismiss all our citizens, regardless of their attitude to the occupation regime. One can also meet complete condemnation of any negotiations with the enemy and the trade based on human lives. The juxtaposition of different viewpoints in the public space once again underlines the huge number of dilemmas associated with prisoner exchanges. Despite claims of “all for all” exchanges, Ukraine often frees fewer people from detention than it gives to the other side. Ukraine gives away important witnesses and criminals, and instead receives terrorists' henchmen instead of victims and tortured civilians. Why is this happening?
Let's start with the fact that it is not always possible to agree with the aggressor on the equivalence of exchanges. In 2017, the Ukrainian side planned to send 300 people to the representatives of illegal armed formations in exchange for 73 Ukrainians. In the end, only 233 crossed the contact line as some of them simply refused to return to the occupied territories. On December 29, 2019, the Ukrainian side handed over 127 people, and in return received 76. In addition, Ukrainian authorities named the latter as “all for all” exchange, which created a critical discussion in the public space.
The Russian side has been consistently creating provocations, which becomes an easy trap for the Ukrainian side. Russian side handed over two women who were not actually detained and who refused to leave the occupied territory. How do such people appear on the exchange lists? Is this a consequence of someone's negligence or is it a kind of hybrid warfare? Russia can deliberately "opt-in" such persons and put them up "for sale” so they have an opprtunity to remind international partners of their refusal to return to Ukraine.
It is worth remembering that the Russian side often imposes its terms of exchange and refuses to make concessions to the last. Every exchange should look like a defeat for Ukraine that gives away much more than it receives. Journalist Stanislav Aseev was released in January and handed over to the president a list of 81 people for further exchange. On the eve of April 16, 2020, he also noted that most of the prisoners of dreadful "Isolatsia" in Donetsk, where civilians and patriots of Ukraine suffered from especially cruel tortures, would miss their third opportunity to return. Moreover, the Russian side agreed to exchange only 20 people of the 200 requested by the Ukrainian side.
The “weight” of each prisoner is also a subject for political manipulation. The case of the release of Vladimir Tsemakh, a representative of "DNR" and a key witness in the case of the Malaysian Boeing crash, hit theadlines of all the respectful international media. His testimony could become another proof of the involvement of the Russian Federation in the war in Donbas. However, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy decided to make concessions to the enemy in order to unblock a meeting with Vladimir Putin in the Normandy format.
Ukrainian side sometimes receives people with controversial reputation. During the exchange on December 29, 2019, freed Ukrainians attacked Yevgen Brazhnikov and Oleksii Kuskov, even armed guards had to intervene. As it turned out, Brazhnikov and Kuskov brutally beat other prisoners during the detention to avoid tortures from the representatives of IAF. The Security Service of Ukraine gave an extremely laconic answer about the cooperation of Brazhnikov and Kuskov with "L/DNR": Brazhnikov cooperated with the SSU, but Kuskov they do not remember at all. How do such people get on the exchange lists? The SSU could deliberately release the criminals in order to obtain information for the investigation, but how can one explain the fact that Brazhnikov fled from Feofania only after one night in the hospital? Has Brazhnikov become a resource for the next exchange? Are they going to investigate this case at all? In fact, the presence of such people in the exchange lists also becomes the basis for further destabilization. It paves the way for mistrust and discredits the intentions of Ukrainian authorities. The case of Brazhnikov and Kuskov is yet to be a trigger for destabilization, but the more controversial people will appear, the more Ukrainians will think: "Should we exchange them if there are criminals?"
There is also a hidden danger in frequent exchanges. We must always understand that in this way we are tempting the Russian side to kidnap and detain even more locals. Unlike the complicated procedure for capturing the Ukrainian military, IAF just need to look for civilians. Maintenance and "hunting" for them in ORDLO does not stop until now. The exchange fund needs to be replenished, right? Who knows what price list the leaders of the self-proclaimed "republics" hand over to the Ukrainian side: ten civilians for one from the Ukrainian side, twenty? The words of the President of Ukraine about the importance of the life of every citizen are important. However, cynical Russian negotiators can easily use them to blackmail the Ukrainian side in the future.
It is important to remember about the value of the life of every citizen, suffering from inhumane conditions in ORDLO. They should not forget that everyone is waiting to catch up with friends, family, and close ones. They should not forget that Ukrainians should stand for Ukrainians, wherever they are. At the same time, one must not avoid the traps of the aggressor or forget about communication with the Ukrainian public regarding people in the exchange lists. All in all, we will live in the same state.
Article cover: photo by RBK-Ukraine
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