Budanov: Ukraine prioritizes severely wounded, women, and Azovstal defenders in prisoner exchange with Russia
The head of Ukraine's Defense Intelligence, Kyrylo Budanov, has identified which groups will be exchanged first in the ongoing prisoner exchanges with Russia. According to Budanov, priority will be given to those who are severely wounded or seriously ill, women, and long-term captives. He also mentioned that special focus is placed on the defenders of Azovstal.
"The tragic events at Azovstal hold a special place for us. We are particularly attentive to bringing back everyone who was at Azovstal," Budanov stressed.
The Ukrainian intelligence leader also mentioned efforts to repatriate civilian captives, Crimean Tatars, and other groups.
Repatriating Ukrainian soldiers from Russian captivity is a top priority for Ukraine’s Security Service, which is actively working to bolster their exchange fund, said the head of the Security Service of Ukraine, Vasyl Malyuk, during a joint briefing with officials from the Ministry of Defense, Ministry of Internal Affairs, Military Intelligence, Foreign Intelligence Service, and the Ukrainian Parliament Commissioner for Human Rights.
Malyuk confirmed that special forces from the SBU's Alpha Group captured more than a hundred Russian soldiers in the Kursk region of the Russian Federation. This group included officers and members of the "Akhmat" unit.
"Yesterday, we conducted a precision operation resulting in 102 Russians being taken captive. We're already contemplating how to leverage this to bring our defenders home most effectively," Malyuk noted.
The head of the SBU said that Ukrainian military counterintelligence and SBU investigators are currently working with the captured Russians. Once they provide exhaustive testimony and undergo all legal procedures mandated by the HUR and SBU, negotiations for their exchange with Russia can commence.
Malyuk also announced the expansion of the negotiation team, which previously handled prisoner exchange preparations on behalf of the Coordinating Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War. This team will now include representatives from the Security Service of Ukraine, Ministry of Internal Affairs, Armed Forces, Military Intelligence, Foreign Intelligence Service, and the Ombudsman.
On August 15, the SBU special forces had captured 102 Russian soldiers—the largest single capture of enemy combatants carried out in one operation.
As of the evening of June 14, Ukrainian Defense forces in the Kursk region had taken two thousand Russian soldiers prisoner. This figure was provided by an unnamed colonel in a comment to The Independent.