Twenty Ukrainian war prisoners released on Apr. 16

A total of 20 Ukrainian war prisoners in Donbas were
released on Apr. 16, said the press service of the President’s Office. At least
16 of those released were reported to be civilians. Among them was Alevtyna
Popova, who was imprisoned in Luhansk for state treason, and Serhiy Rusinov,
who was arrested by the pro-Russian forces in Luhansk for calling for Ukraine’s
unity on social media and condemning the illegal armies of Luhansk.

“The majority of the freed individuals confirmed
inhumane treatment, psychological and sexual abuse, degrading human dignity,
beatings, and torture, which led to crippling and deaths in certain cases,”
said Yuriy Rud of the Prosecutor General’s Office, as reported by the
pravda.com.ua news site.

The release is part of what President’s Office Head
Andriy Yermak characterized an all-for-all prisoner exchange. Yermak has worked
behind-the-scenes to achieve the exchanges. The first, in September, resulted
in the return of 35 Ukrainians, while the second exchange, in December, brought
back 76 Ukrainians.

Zenon Zawada: Securing
the release of Ukrainian war prisoners has been among the few highlights of the
Zelensky administration. The measures are widely supported by the public, even
though pro-Western critics have warned of the geopolitical cost of these
exchanges. In this case, we have seen no media reports identifying how many
pro-Russian fighters were given by Ukraine to the pro-Russian forces in this
exchange. This information should surface, as well as any other political deals
that might have been struck with the Kremlin in the background.