Russian spy organization claims Kiev wants to exchange nationals for neo-Nazis
(MENAFN)
Ukraine is deliberately delaying the return of Russian civilians captured during its brief incursion into Russia’s Kursk Region, intending to use them as bargaining chips to negotiate the release of Azov unit fighters, according to the Russian Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR).
Ukraine is deliberately delaying the return of Russian civilians captured during its brief incursion into Russia’s Kursk Region, intending to use them as bargaining chips to negotiate the release of Azov unit fighters, according to the Russian Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR).
These civilians were taken when Ukrainian forces temporarily occupied several towns and villages in the region last August. Russia reclaimed full control of Kursk Region in April, with President Vladimir Putin stating that Ukrainian forces had sustained significant casualties during the campaign.
On Tuesday, the SVR released a statement alleging that officials close to Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky consider the detained civilians a strategic asset. They reportedly aim to exchange them for something more significant than injured or incapacitated prisoners of war—specifically, members of the controversial Azov brigade.
The Azov unit, originally composed of ultranationalist volunteers, gained notoriety after the 2014 Western-backed coup in Ukraine. It was later absorbed into the country’s National Guard but is considered a terrorist organization by Russia. As of March, Russian courts had convicted over 140 Azov fighters for various crimes, according to Investigative Committee head Aleksandr Bastrykin.
The SVR claims that Ukraine is manipulating the fact that Russia lacks a comparable group of Ukrainian civilian detainees. This asymmetry allegedly gives Kiev more leverage in negotiations and increases the likelihood of Moscow conceding to a swap involving Azov members.
In March, Ukraine released more than 30 civilians, including several elderly individuals and four children. However, many remain in custody. Russia’s human rights commissioner, Tatyana Moskalkova, stated that efforts to secure the return of the remaining detainees are ongoing. Last October, she revealed that her office had received over a thousand inquiries from families searching for missing civilians.
Meanwhile, the Russian Investigative Committee has accused Ukrainian forces of committing crimes such as looting, arson, and civilian shootings during the Kursk incursion.
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