Viktor Medvedchuk, the deputy, detained by the Security Service, appealed to the Presidents of Ukraine and the Russian Federation to exchange him for defenders and residents of Mariupol. The video message was published by the press service of Security Service of Ukraine.
"I would like to ask President Vladimir Putin and President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to exchange me for the defenders of the city of Mariupol and its residents, who are there today and are not able to leave the city safely through humanitarian corridors," Medvedchuk said.
Please be reminded that the Russian aggression caused a humanitarian catastrophe in Mariupol. The invaders bomb civilians, block the delivery of humanitarian aid to the city, forcibly deport Ukrainians to Russia and deliberately destroy the city.
At the same time, according to various estimates, about 120 000 civilians remain in the blocked Mariupol, and the city continues to be defended by soldiers of the Azov Regiment and the 36th Marine Brigade.
The Security Service of Ukraine detained Medvedchuk on April 12. Later, Ivan Bakanov, the Head of the Security Service of Ukraine, said that the Federal Security Service of the Russian Federation tried to take Medvedchuk first to Transnistria and later to Moscow. The Security Service of Ukraine detained him on the way to the Kyiv region.
Earlier, Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that he was ready to exchange Medvedchuk for our soldiers.