Kursk Oblast conscripts among Russians returned in POW exchange, Russian organization says

Many of the 95 Russian prisoners of war (POWs) exchanged in the latest Moscow-Kyiv prisoner swap were conscripts captured in Kursk Oblast, the Russian organization "Our Way Out" reported.

Ukraine and Russia on Oct. 18 conducted their 58th prisoner exchange, with each side swapping 95 detainees. Prisoners returned to Ukraine include human rights activist Maksym Butkevych and 34 soldiers of the Azov Regiment.

The returned Russian prisoners were mostly conscripts, many of whom were captured in Kursk Oblast, according to "Our Way Out," an organization founded by Russian women to help families of POWs locate their relatives in Ukraine.

The returned prisoners also reportedly included some mobilized Russian fighters and contract soldiers, including kadyrovtsy, the notoriously ruthless troops named for Chechen strongman Ramzan Kadyrov.

Ukrainian forces have controlled some parts of Kursk Oblast since launching a surprise cross-border incursion in early August. Along with occupying about 1,200 square kilometers of Russian territory, Ukrainian troops captured hundreds of Russian soldiers in the region.

Many of those captured in the Kursk incursion were conscripts, young men undergoing their mandatory 12 months of military service who never expected to see combat.

President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Oct. 6 that the Kursk incursion has proven one of the most significant contributions to Ukraine's prisoner exchange fund.

The United Arab Emirates reportedly assisted in brokering the latest prisoner exchange between Ukraine and Russia, which involved 190 prisoners. Ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets on Oct. 18 confirmed that 3,767 Ukrainian POWs have returned home since the start of the full-scale war.

According to "Our Way Out," 71 of the 95 returned Russians were located by relatives with the assistance of Ukraine's "I Want to Find" project, which has helped locate over 500 missing Russian soldiers.

Ukraine's POW Coordination Headquarters launched the project in January as a sign of Ukraine's commitment to the principles of international humanitarian law.

Russian POWs on their capture in Kursk Oblast: ‘Commanders just disappeared’

Halfway down a narrow corridor painted all in gray, the guard wrestles with a bulky lock to gain entry to the prison cell. Inside are around twenty young men, sitting on a criss-crossing pattern of metal bunk beds. In the corner of the room, plastic cups and books are stacked

The Kyiv IndependentFrancis Farrell