Ukrainians hope for a New Year prisoner exchange with Russia
British Broadcasting CorporationA Ukrainian official has told the BBC they hope to carry out a New Year’s prisoner swap with Russia “any day”, although arrangements could fall through at the last minute.
Petro Yatsenko of the Ukrainian Prisoner of War Treatment Headquarters said negotiations with Moscow on prisoner exchanges had become more difficult in recent months since Russian forces began making significant advances on the front lines.
There will only be 10 exchanges in 2024, the lowest number since the full-scale invasion began. Ukraine does not release the number of prisoners of war held by Russia, but the total is believed to be more than 8,000.
Russia has made significant advances on the battlefield this year, raising concerns about a growing number of Ukrainians being held captive.
Ukrainian marine Andriy Turas was one of those brought home during the last exchange in September 2024. In an apartment in the Ukrainian city of Lviv, Andrei and his wife Lena told me the extraordinary story of their encounter. In 2022, the two were captured while defending the city of Mariupol.
“They gave us lectures about how Ukraine never existed,” Lena, a combat medic, said of her Russian abductors. “They are trying to wipe out the Ukrainian identity in our minds.”
Lena was released after two weeks in captivity. But the psychological trauma she experienced in a Russian POW facility remained. “We kept hearing screams and we knew the men (in our unit) were being tortured,” she said.
“They beat us mercilessly with fists, sticks, hammers and anything they could find,” Andre said. “They stripped us naked in the cold and forced us to crawl on the asphalt. Our legs were torn apart and we were scared and cold.”
“The food was horrible – pickled cabbage and spoiled fish heads. It was a nightmare,” the Marine said. “It was like waking up from a nightmare in the middle of the night, covered in sweat and scared.”
Andrei’s prison sentence was much longer than that of his wife – two and a half years.
Andre met his two-year-old son Leon for the first time three months ago after being released in a prisoner exchange. Lena had no idea she was pregnant when the couple was captured by Russian troops.
“When I found out I was pregnant, I cried, first out of joy and then out of sadness because I couldn’t tell my husband.”
“I kept writing to him, telling him that he finally had the child he had wanted for so long,” Lena said, her eyes sparkling. “But he didn’t receive even a letter.”
I asked Andre what it was like meeting his son for the first time. “I thought I was the happiest man in the world,” he said, laughing.
While the BBC has not been able to independently verify everything Lena and Andrei told us, their claims have been corroborated by international organizations who have interviewed hundreds of Ukrainian prisoners of war.
The United Nations said Russia committed “widespread and systematic torture and ill-treatment of Ukrainian prisoners… including severe beatings, electric shocks, sexual violence, suffocation, prolonged periods of stress, forced excessive exercise, sleep deprivation, mock executions, threats of violence and humiliation”. “
The Russian Embassy in London said in a statement to the BBC: “The accusations you describe are patently false. The captured Ukrainian militants were treated humanely and in full compliance with relevant Russian legislation and the Geneva Conventions. provision. They were provided with quality food, shelter, medical assistance, religious and intellectual nourishment.”
Andrei is recovering at a medical facility in Lviv. But he still found time to enjoy the holidays with his wife and son. This is the first Christmas that the Tulas family has spent together, and the best gift for little Leon is that his father comes home.
But many Ukrainians are still desperately waiting for news about their loved ones. In central Kiev, relatives and activists gathered for a special Christmas Day demonstration calling for the release of Ukrainian prisoners.
They stood for hours on one of the capital’s main streets in biting cold as passing motorists honked their horns and unleashed a deafening chorus of support.
“We hope for a miracle at Christmas,” said Tetiana, whose 24-year-old son Artem was arrested nearly three years ago. “My son’s release is my deepest wish. I have imagined it 100 times During our meeting, he and I hugged each other. “As soon as we saw each other, his eyes lit up and he finally returned to his home country. “
Liliya Ivashchyk, 29, a ballet dancer at the Kyiv State Opera, also took part in the protest, holding a red placard. In 2022, Russian troops captured her boyfriend Bohdan. She lost contact with him after that.
“I can say that being alone is difficult for me, but I don’t want to say that because I always wonder how he is doing there,” Lilia said.
Backstage at the theater, Lilia showed us the message she still sends Bohdan almost every day—a picture of a little heart. “I miss him so much. He needs to be rescued and set free,” she said, her lower lip quivering. The message is unread.
Lilia invites us to watch her perform in a special Christmas show. This dance is Ukraine’s most popular holiday dance: Johann Strauss’s “Blue Danube Waltz” was created in 1866 to lift the spirits of the post-war Austrian public. The theater was packed.
“The Christmas holidays are a painful time,” she said as she prepared to take the stage. “There’s really no festive atmosphere.”
After the performance, audience members rushed to collect their coats. After nearly three years of war, nearly everyone here has a relative who fought on the front lines, was captured, or died.
“Many people in Ukraine face difficult situations,” Lilia said. “We are just waiting for the time when we can celebrate together again. We must remember to thank our military for allowing us to have the holidays.”
