Russia does not rule out an exchange of prisoners with fighters captured in Azovstal

MADRID, 23 May. (EUROPA PRESS) –

The Russian government does not rule out that the Ukrainian fighters captured at the Azovstal steelworks in Mariupol be exchanged for Russian prisoners in the future, a recurring request by the Ukrainian authorities.

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Andrei Rudenko has refused to give details, but he did admit on Monday that everything is on the table. Thus, Moscow is open to any possibility that is “common sense”, according to the Interfax news agency.

The Ukrainian prisoners who would have surrendered in Azovstal remain in the Donbas. The pro-Russian separatists reported this weekend that there are already about 2,500 prisoners and placed foreign citizens on this list.

The large volume of detainees, however, complicates a symmetrical exchange between the two sides, so Russia could claim some prisoners of special relevance such as the politician Viktor Medvedchuk, a key ally for Moscow’s interests in Ukrainian territory.

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