On June 26, Russia and Ukraine carried out an exchange of prisoners of war. Each side handed over 160 people, Irina Kryninа, the head of the public movement Our Way Out, told Novaya-Europe.
Who was returned to Russia
According to Alexander Sementsov, a representative of the I Want to Find project, 87 of the 160 prisoners returned to Russia had previously been located by their relatives through the initiative. He said families received confirmation that they were in captivity, which helped secure official POW status for them in Russia.
The project says that 77% of the Russian servicemen who returned are between 40 and 44 years old, while 93% served under contract, including former convicts. It also says 64% had criminal convictions or were under investigation, and 82% had spent no more than a year in captivity.
As for why they went to war, 46% named money as the main reason. Another 24%, according to these figures, joined the Russian armed forces under coercion. Only 6% said they had signed contracts for patriotic reasons.
Risk of being sent back to war
Krynina said that most of the servicemen returned to Russia could be sent to fight again. According to her, 131 out of 160 had spent from several months to a year in captivity, while many others, including wounded prisoners, have remained in captivity for several years.
“I am convinced that fairness and humanity must guide the approach to returning people from captivity. It is unacceptable to bring home first those who can then be sent to fight again,” Irina Krynina said.
The head of Our Way Out also appealed to Russian ombudswoman Yana Lantratova, demanding an explanation of the principles used to compile prisoner exchange lists.