On May 6, the Russian Ministry of Defense reported that three Russian pilots had returned from Ukrainian captivity.
“As a result of a complex negotiation process, three Russian military personnel, life-threatening Russian Air Force pilots in captivity, were extradited from the territory controlled by the Kiev regime,” the ministry said in a statement on Telegram.
Currently, the Russian army is provided with the necessary medical and psychological assistance. Then they will be taken to Moscow for treatment and rehabilitation.
readovka He gave the names of the pilots who returned home from Ukrainian captivity today. These are Lieutenant Colonels Maxim Krishtop and Sergey Kosik and Major Sergey Malov.
The Russian Ministry of Defense did not report the transfer of Ukrainian POWs to Kiev. Andriy Yermak, Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine, announced that 45 Azov residents have returned to the country.
“We are taking 45 of our people back to their homes. These are the 42 defenders and three defenders of Azovstal. All of them are the National Guard of a unit formed on the coast of Azov 9 years ago,” he said.
Yermak reported that 35 privates and sergeants and 10 officers were among the detainees.
Russia and Ukraine last exchanged prisoners on April 26. The Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation later announced the release of 40 soldiers.
“Ordinary soldiers do not take”
Russian human rights ombudsman Tatyana Moskalkova said on May 5 that Kiev refused to take soldiers from captivity and demanded the extradition of other prisoners whose return she was more interested in.
“The Ukrainian side refuses to recruit ordinary soldiers. And instead of them, it sets the conditions, since our military leaders are not ready to return to Ukraine, because work with them continues, investigative actions continue, ”the statement said.
According to Moskalkova, the issue is mainly about the commanders.
The Ombudswoman emphasized that the exchange lists were created on the basis of applications from native Ukrainian soldiers.
“Ukrainian side, the army is bypassing them. And the country doesn’t need them,” he added.
According to Sputnik radio, the Ukrainian side is also discussing the option of exchanging prisoners in an “all of us” format.
Torture of military personnel
Alexander Bastrykin, Chairman of the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation, previously mentioned the tortures that Russian soldiers were subjected to in captivity. Some of those who returned from captivity said they had been severely beaten and kept in containers in the crematorium. Based on their statements, criminal cases were initiated under Article 356 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation (the use of prohibited means and methods in an armed conflict).
“According to the testimony of one of the Russian soldiers, he was captured on September 6, 2022 after being wounded. They tied his eyes and hands with adhesive tape, put him in a Uralic car and drove in an unknown direction, making several stops and changing cars. As a result, it was brought to the crematorium in Kharkiv and kept there in containers for about ten days,” he said.
He was then transferred to a pre-trial detention center in Kiev, where, according to the military, he was severely beaten. Another Russian soldier was placed in a pre-trial detention center in Kharkov, where he was forced to kneel and also beaten.
The defendants in the case were Oleksandr Balduk, head of the pre-trial detention center No. 13 in Kiev, and Yevhen Bartoshchak, head of the pre-trial detention center in Kharkov.