Ukrainian Blitzkrieg: Captured Russian Troopers as Leverage in Prisoner Trade Efforts

(AFP, Kyiv, twentieth) Ukraine carried out a cross-border raid on Russia’s Kusk area earlier this month. Ukrainian President Zelensky mentioned that the Russian troopers captured on this blitzkrieg had been Ukraine’s “prisoner trade chips”. Most of those Russian troopers are younger, some are wounded, they usually all wish to go residence.

Ukraine made a shock cross-border raid on the Kursk area on the sixth and captured a bunch of Russian troopers that Volodymyr Zelenskyy hoped to make use of in a fast trade for some Ukrainian troopers captured by Russia. Moscow authorities revealed that Russia has round 6,500 Ukrainian troops.

Zelensky mentioned final week that this operation has turn into Ukraine’s largest funding within the technique of rescuing captured Ukrainian troopers.

Ukraine mentioned a lot of Russian troops had surrendered throughout the assault, reportedly within the a whole bunch.

AFP requested entry to some Russian prisoners of struggle who had been being held within the Sumy area of northeastern Ukraine, near the Russian border.

Though Ukrainian guards stood close by, the captured Russian troopers didn’t seem to talk to reporters underneath duress.

A 22-year-old Russian prisoner of struggle mentioned he was a conscript and when Ukrainian troops attacked, he and his fellow prisoners had been “actually deserted by our commanders.”

Sitting on the bunk in his cell, he mentioned: “(Initially) every little thing was regular, every little thing was superb, after which this surprising second modified every little thing dramatically.”

He added: “It was actually surprising.”

The younger soldier, sporting plaid trousers and plastic slippers, mentioned he hoped to “come residence to my household by a prisoner trade.”

One other prisoner of struggle, a 42-year-old border guard with a bandaged leg, mentioned he was captured on the primary day of the Ukrainian counter-offensive.

He mentioned: “We had been surrounded and there was no probability to interrupt by, so we determined to give up. I hope they will trade me and I can go residence. After all, that is my best hope.”

It has been two and a half years since Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Kyiv mentioned it had deployed hundreds of troops to participate within the counterattack. (Translator: Liu Wenyu/Verification: Zhang Xiaowen)