The release of prisoners is one of the three topics being discussed at the current Global Peace Summit. An exchange of all for all would be best, but we understand that Russia will not go for it.
So at least we need to achieve regularity of exchanges. Maksym Kolesnikov, a veteran of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and a freed defender of Ukraine, told LB.ua on the sidelines of the summit.
"This is one of my main personal tasks here," Kolesnikov said.
He added that in his conversations with representatives of other countries, he saw a very poor understanding of what prisoners of war actually are and why we are so eager to exchange them before the war is over.
"They do not understand that captivity is absolutely horrible. That it is torture, that it is exhaustion, that it is grief for people. They imagine it at the level of twentieth-century books about how officers during the First World War lived in apartments, quietly drank some drinks, argued, wrote wonderful long letters to their wives. So for them, it's something semi-romantic. They do not realise what is really happening," the veteran said.
He stressed that it is important to convey to representatives of other countries that Russian captivity is horrific, fascist and inhumane.
"And that the exchanges that are taking place now are extremely necessary. And the main thing is that they can put pressure on Russia," the veteran added.
He explained that there are already countries that help with exchanges. The attention of countries can help and improve the conditions of detention of Ukrainian prisoners.