Russia Parliament Seeks Ban On POW Exchange With Ukraine

Ukrainian President Volodomyr Zelensky said the evacuation of soldiers from the Azovstal steel plant in Mariupol is being overseen by Ukraine’s military and intelligence with the help of the “most influential international mediators,” Kyiv Independent reported.

Photo Insert: The Azovstal steel plant in Mariupol

At least seven buses with Azovstal defenders left the steel plant on May 17. The buses carrying Ukrainian soldiers were escorted by Russian forces, Reuters reported. Some of the Ukrainian fighters transported did not appear to be wounded, the witness said.

A total of 264 Ukrainian soldiers, including 53 heavily wounded, were evacuated from Azovstal in Mariupol to the Russian-occupied territory on May 16 but Russia claimed 1,000 of them surrendered. Ukraine said they would be exchanged for Russian POWs.

Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk said 52 severely wounded Azovstal defenders will be exchanged for Russian POWs, saying negotiations continue and Ukraine is working on the next stages of the humanitarian operation to save soldiers’ lives.

Meanwhile, Russia hasn’t confirmed its commitment to exchange the captured Ukrainian defenders of Azovstal.

As this developed, the Russian parliament will consider banning the exchange of POWs for captured members of the Azov regiment, Russian state-controlled RIA Novosti reported. On May 26, the Russian Supreme Court will consider recognizing Azov as a terrorist organization.

Russia also said its Investigative Committee will “identify nationalists and check them for involvement in crimes committed against the civilian population of the Donbas” in line with one of the Kremlin’s propaganda narratives.

Rather than a celebration of the “full capitulation” of Mariupol that the Kremlin was likely anticipating, some Russian Telegram channels and bloggers expressed outrage at negotiations and that Russian forces didn’t “destroy the Ukrainian defenders at Azovstal,” the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) said in its May 17 assessment.

WEEKLY FEATURE : MVP Group Keeps Lights On During Pandemic