Interrupted prisoner exchange meant to be one of the largest during war – Ukraine's intel spokesperson
The exchange of prisoners with Russia, scheduled for January 24, was supposed to be one of the largest in the history of the full-scale war.
Rubryka reports, referring to the spokesperson of the Ukrainian Defense Intelligence, Andrii Yusov, during a telethon.
"We will not provide an exact number (of prisoners of war to be exchanged). And until the exchange takes place, such things are not practiced. But this was supposed to be one of the largest exchanges in the history of the full-scale war. And in general, we can say it was supposed to be the anniversary — the 50th — but, unfortunately, it did not take place," said Yusov.
Regarding the lists of Ukrainian prisoners of war published by Russian propagandists, he said that the information was being studied. Communication with the families of the prisoners is also taking place.
"So, the lists that appear through Russian propaganda sources appear to protest and provoke a reaction. We will not comment on them," said the representative.
Yusov stressed that if Russia officially wanted to publish lists, it should do so through structures directly involved in working with prisoners of war — the Ministry of Defense, special services, humanitarian headquarters, etc.
"Of course, there will be official comments then. For now, this is the enemy's deliberate psychological information work," said the representative of Ukrainian intelligence.
What happened to the Russian cargo aircraft Il-76
Earlier, Rubryka reported that a Russian military aircraft, Il-76, crashed in the Belgorod Oblast of the Russian Federation shortly after takeoff.
According to statements by the Russian Ministry of Defense, Ukrainian prisoners of war may have been on board.
Later, it became known that all the necessary information regarding the Russian Il-76 aircraft that crashed in Russia is being collected and analyzed by the Ukrainian coordination headquarters for handling prisoners of war and other relevant structures: Russia claims that Ukrainian prisoners of war were on board.
In turn, Ukrainian Ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets called for not making premature conclusions about the death of Ukrainian prisoners of war.
The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine made the first statement against the background of the Il-76 crash in Russia.
The Ukrainian intelligence noted that the planned exchange of prisoners of war between Ukraine and Russia did not take place. However, the Ukrainian side fulfilled its part of the agreement.
ISW noted that Russian propagandists are using the Il-76 crash to sow internal dissatisfaction in Ukraine and undermine the West's desire to continue providing military support to Ukraine.
It was also reported that the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) had opened a case regarding the crash of the Il-76 near Belgorod. The investigation is being carried out under Article 438 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine (violation of laws and customs of war).
