On Saturday, September 7, between Russia and Ukraine an exchange of withheld persons took place according to the “35 for 35” formula. Around 13:30, Ukrainians arrived at the Kiev Borispol airport, and at about the same time, a Tu-204 aircraft landed with Russian citizens at the Vnukovo Russian airport.
Among those released by the Ukrainian side was also the chief editor of RIA Novosti Ukraine, Kirill Vyshinsky, who was detained in Kiev in 2018 on suspicion of supporting the self-proclaimed republics of Donbass and “treason”.
Russia, in turn, handed over to Ukraine 24 Ukrainian sailors who were detained in November 2018 for violating the Russian border in the Kerch Strait, as well as director Oleg Sentsov, who was sentenced in Russia to 20 years in prison for terrorism.
The exchange of held persons became a “positive signal”, followed by other important steps to normalize relations between the two countries, the Russian Foreign Ministry said.
“This became possible thanks to the implementation of the agreements reached personally by the presidents of Russia and Ukraine. Unlike its predecessors, the new Zelensky administration has demonstrated a sound approach and willingness to compromise, ”the ministry’s website said in a statement.
In addition, the ministry expressed hope that this step would create a positive background for work within the Minsk contact group and the “Norman format”. At the same time, the Foreign Ministry emphasized that "the habit of blaming Russia for all the troubles of Ukraine should remain in the past."
Meanwhile, after the completion of the procedure, President of Ukraine Vladimir Zelensky said that on the morning of September 7 he had a telephone conversation with Vladimir Putin. According to the Ukrainian leader, they did “all that was possible” to ensure that the exchange took place, and also noted that this action was “the first step to unlocking the dialogue with the Russian Federation”.
The planned mutual exchange of held persons between Russia and Ukraine became known at the end of August. The lawyer of several Russians in Ukraine, Valentin Rybin, then said that the countries agreed on the date, but have not yet disclosed it. He said that the final lists of persons have not yet been approved and could be amended.
The Kremlin refused to comment on the words of a lawyer. At the same time, the Foreign Ministry noted that work on this issue is underway, however, it is premature to comment on it.
The fact that the president of Ukraine and his team is engaged in negotiations on this issue was also announced by Viktor Medvedchuk, head of the political council of the party “Opposition Platform - For Life”.
Human Rights Ombudsman in Russia Tatyana Moskalkova called the exchange “a historical and large-scale humanitarian action” and a new page in relations between the countries. Moskalkova expressed hope that no repressive measures would be taken against participants in the exchange, and spoke in favor of ending the criminal cases connected with them.
“I think that it was wonderful to complete and terminate criminal cases in the absence of crime events as such, but these are tomorrow’s questions, and today we can talk about a new page in our relations,” RIA Novosti quoted her as saying.
It is worth noting that, according to Moskalkova, all participants in the exchange received the status of “personal obligation”. In relation to a number of persons from both the Russian and Ukrainian sides, the investigation is ongoing, and they are obliged to appear before the investigator or in court in the respective state.
“The first step from confrontation to dialogue”
Margarita Simonyan, editor-in-chief of RT and Russia Today, commented on the exchange of held persons between Russia and Ukraine. According to her, this procedure was the first truly positive event in relations between the two countries since 2014.
“Since 2014, this is probably the first truly positive and generally joyful event in our relations with Ukraine. The first time we can say that something good happened between our two countries. And I, as an optimist, hope that maybe this is the beginning of this vector towards the normalization of relations between the two, of course, fraternal and generally native peoples, ”said Simonyan.
The exchange of retained persons between Russia and Ukraine could be the first step towards “from confrontation to dialogue,” wrote Konstantin Kosachev, head of the Federation Council Committee on Foreign Affairs, on Facebook.
According to him, the decision of the Ukrainian leadership to take this path cannot but rejoice, because the team of the new President of Ukraine Vladimir Zelensky was under strong pressure from opponents of negotiations with Donbass and Russia.
"For many of those who loudly and with pathos demanded the release of" political prisoners "and" prisoners of war ", it was much more profitable for them to continue to be in the Kremlin’s dungeons, thereby making it possible to continue propaganda campaigns of a global scale," the senator noted .
Those who nevertheless returned to Ukraine, their attitudes quickly changed when they started to say “uncomfortable truth” instead of propaganda cliches, Kosachev believes.
As an example, he cites the Ukrainian pilot Nadezhda Savchenko.
Recall that Nadezhda Savchenko took part in the conflict in southeastern Ukraine as a volunteer at the Aidar National Battalion. In June 2014, she was detained by militias after the Aydar bombardment of the military positions of the Luhansk People’s Republic, after which it was transferred to Russia. In July of the same year, the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation charged her with complicity in the murder of Igor Kornelyuk and Anton Voloshin, VGTRK journalists who died during the shelling. In March 2016, the Donetsk City Court of the Rostov Region sentenced Savchenko to 22 years in a penal colony.
After the verdict was announced, in May 2016, Savchenko was exchanged for the Russians Yevgeny Erofeev and Alexander Alexandrov, who were held in Ukraine. Returning to her homeland, Savchenko continued her political career, since during her stay in the Russian pre-trial detention center she was elected as a deputy of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine.
However, in politics, she did not last long. Savchenko began to criticize the Ukrainian government and became an "uncomfortable" figure. In 2018, parliamentary immunity was lifted from the woman, a number of charges were brought against her, including the organization of a terrorist attack and the attempt on the highest state officials. She was placed under arrest. Savchenko was released from custody on April 16, 2019, a few days before the second round of the presidential election in Ukraine.
Reaction of the West
The West praised the humanitarian action carried out by Russia and Ukraine. German Chancellor Angela Merkel called the exchange of held parties between the two countries a “promising signal” and called for further work on the implementation of the Minsk agreements.
The Council of Europe, in turn, welcomed the exchange, calling it "an important and inspiring step towards normalizing relations between the two countries - members of the Council of Europe." This was announced by the Secretary General of the organization Thorbjorn Jagland.
US President Donald Trump also commented on the exchange of held individuals, calling the event "good news."
“Russia and Ukraine have just made a massive exchange of prisoners. This is great news and perhaps the first colossal step on the road to peace. Congratulations to both countries! ”- wrote the American leader on his Twitter.
Russia and Ukraine just swapped large numbers of prisoners. Very good news, perhaps a first giant step to peace. Congratulations to both countries!
- Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 7, 2019Next steps
This humanitarian action opens up wide prospects for the further restoration of relations between Russia and Ukraine, Viktor Vodolatsky, deputy chairman of the State Duma Committee on CIS Affairs, Eurasian Integration and Relations with Compatriots, told RT.
“Today's exchange is of great political importance for our two countries. This is the first stage of the future full implementation of the Minsk agreements. The next will be a ceasefire in the south-east of Ukraine and the divorce of the warring parties, ”the expert said.
The decision to exchange was the first practical step of the new Ukrainian administration, said the head of the Federation Council Commission for the Protection of State Sovereignty, Andrei Klimov.
“I agree with experts who call this an important step. In essence, this is the first important step under the new President Zelensky, this is a practical step, not just words. We’ll see what follows after that, ”said the senator in an interview with RT.