A Ukrainian militia volunteer, Volodymyr Zhemchugov, who was seriously wounded and spent almost a year in the captivity of the so-called Luhansk People's Republic, shared his opinion about the problem of prisoner exchanges between the Armed Forces of Ukraine and the armed groups of the LPR and DPR. In an interview with Ukrayinska Pravda he said that the separatists often managed to “cheat” Ukrainian negotiators.

“I was resentful when they managed to play Ukraine for a fool,” the former prisoner said.

“For example, they would ask for a person to exchange. The Ukrainian side has to conduct all legal procedures to pardon this person. And after the legal clearing took place, and the person was ready to be sent for the exchange, the exchange fails.”

“However, all legal procedures took place, the person has been cleared of all accusations and according to the legislation a person cannot be detained more than three days. That is why we release people while our hostages are still held captive there. That’s how they cheated!”

According to him, captured separatists are bargaining chips and are necessary for fair exchange.

“We cannot just let these people go; in these situations we have to move them to a specific camp. It is a bargaining chip for the exchange of our guys,” Zhemchugov noted.

He believes that the existing hostage issue is beneficial to Russia who wants it to align with its decision to legalize the regimes of the self-proclaimed DPR and LPR.

“The main agenda for Russia is to solve its geopolitical problems; for elections to be conducted in the occupied territories, to somehow legalize the DPR and LPR in the world. That is why they delay the exchange process,” he noted.

As was reported, Volodymyr Zhemchugov was a member of a partisan detachment operating in the Luhansk region. Last year he was injured when a mine exploded. He lost his sight and both hands and was captured as a result. On 17 September he was released along with a UN employee, Yuriy Suprun.

  Ukraine, Russia, Donbas, POWs

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