The negotiation group, which on behalf of the Coordination Staff for the Treatment of Prisoners of War was engaged in the preparation of exchanges, is expanding, in particular, it will include representatives of the Security Service of Ukraine, the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense, the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the Foreign Intelligence Service and the Ombudsman, stated the head of the SBU, Vasyl Malyuk.
As the press service of the SBU reported, he said this at a joint briefing with the heads of the Ministry of Defense, the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the SSR, and the Commissioner for Human Rights of the Verkhovna Rada.
“I am sure that this option will make it possible to combine our efforts and fight more effectively for every defender of Ukraine in order to bring them home. It is the synergy and combination of our efforts that will bear the appropriate fruits as soon as possible”, Malyuk is convinced.
The head of the Security Service of Ukraine emphasized that this applies to the organization of exchanges not only of military personnel, but also of civilians, in particular those whom Russia has been illegally detaining since 2014.
Malyuk confirmed that during the fierce battles in the Kursk region of Russia, special forces of the Central Security Service “A” of the SBU captured more than a hundred Russian servicemen, including officers and representatives of the “Akhmat” unit.
“Yesterday we conducted a filigree operation, as a result of which 102 Russians were captured. In the future, we are already thinking about how to use this as effectively as possible to return our defenders home,” said the head of the SBU.
At the same time, he emphasized that military counter-intelligence and SBU investigators are currently working with captured Russians. In particular, to document the war crimes committed during the war in Ukraine.
And only after the captives have given comprehensive testimony and all the procedures prescribed by law have been carried out with them by the State Security Service and the Security Service, the Ukrainian side will be able to negotiate their exchange with the Russian Federation.
