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Tag: War prisoners

  • Prisoners of war: Heavily pregnant medic among convicts returning home

    A Ukrainian doctor named Mariana Mamonova who is more than eight months pregnant is one of the detainees whom Russia has freed.

    She can be seen in a prisoner swap video that Ukrainian authorities made public on Wednesday.

    She was being held in the notorious Olenivka prison camp in the unrecognized Donetsk People’s Republic after being captured in April in Mariupol.

    Speaking to the BBC before her release, her husband spoke about his fears over the well-being of his wife and unborn baby – the couple’s first.

    “A baby can’t be kept in those conditions, so they could just take it away,” Vasilii said.

    Mariana was reportedly held under extremely difficult conditions at the prison camp.

    A fellow prisoner, Anna Vorosheva, said she was in a cell with more than 20 other women when she first arrived and had to sleep on the floor.

    “Straight away, everyone tried to help her – giving her food, making sure she got fresh air,” Ms Vorosheva, who was released in July, told the BBC.

    Eventually, she was moved to a smaller room with fewer people, and her cellmates ensured that she was able to sleep on one of the room’s two beds each night.

    At first, Mariana assumed that she would be a priority for a prisoner swap. But as her due date at the end of September approached, she began to fear she would give birth in captivity, and became increasingly worried that her baby would be taken from her.

    Frustrated at the lack of news, her family decided to go public with Mariana’s story in August, drawing attention to her case in the Ukrainian media.

    Still, weeks passed with no progress, but finally – just days before she is due to give birth – her family received the good news that she had been released.

  • Zelensky wants ‘just punishment’ for Russia in the Ukraine war

    During his address to the UN General Assembly in New York, President Volodymyr Zelensky said that Russia must receive “just punishment” for its invasion of Ukraine.

    The Ukrainian president demanded the establishment of a special war tribunal and described alleged war crimes committed by Russia in a pre-recorded video.

    He also set out a “formula”, including more military support and punishing Russia on the world stage.

    During his address to the UN General Assembly in New York, President Volodymyr Zelensky said that Russia must receive “just punishment” for its invasion of Ukraine.

    The Ukrainian president demanded the establishment of a special war tribunal and described alleged war crimes committed by Russia in a pre-recorded video.

    r called up 300,000 reservists for duty.

    The move prompted rare protests in dozens of Russian cities and Mr Zelensky said the partial mobilization showed his enemy was not serious about peace talks. Monitoring group OVD-Info said 1,315 Russians had been arrested.

    The Kremlin said the call-up would be limited to those who had completed military service and had important skills and combat experience. But some of those arrested during protests in Moscow were also told they would have to sign up, reports say.

    The Ukrainian leader said creating a special tribunal would help hold Moscow to account for stealing territory and murdering thousands of people. His address on Wednesday received a standing ovation from many of the session’s attendees.

    Despite Russia’s decision to bolster its military campaign, the two sides took part in the biggest exchange of prisoners since the start of the war.

    In a deal brokered by Saudi Arabia, 215 fighters were returned to the Ukrainian side, including 10 foreigners – while Russia took back 55 soldiers. Pro-Russian politician Viktor Medvechuk was also part of the swap. He has been seen as President Putin’s closest ally in Ukraine and faced treason charges.

    Ukraine said that among those released were 108 members of the Azov battalion who for weeks defied Russia’s bombardment of Mariupol and the city’s steel plant.

    Battalion commander Denys Prokopenko and his deputy were among five senior officers freed. So too was Ukrainian military medic Mariana Mamonova, who is more than eight months pregnant and was being held in the notorious Olenivka prison in an area of eastern Ukraine held by Russian-backed separatists.

    She can be seen, looking heavily pregnant, in a video of the exchange released by Ukrainian authorities.
    SOURCE, UKRAINIAN GOVERNMENT Image caption, A heavily pregnant Mariana Mamonova was seen in a video of the exchange released by Ukrainian authorities

    A fellow prisoner, who was released in July, told the BBC how the medic was forced to live in a cell with several other people, sleeping on the floor and going outside only once a day. Her husband had feared their baby would be taken away.

    Ten foreign prisoners held by Russian-backed forces were also released, including five British nationals and two Americans.

    In his UN address, Mr Zelensky condemned Russian plans to stage so-called referendums on joining Russia in occupied areas of Ukraine. The vote which is due to start on Friday has been widely condemned as a sham by Western leaders.

    He addressed the discovery of 445 new graves in Izyum, a northeastern city recently retaken from Russian forces during a sweeping Ukrainian counter-offensive.

    Mr Zelensky detailed allegations of war crimes in the city, including against one man said to have been castrated and murdered.

    “Why are the Russian military so obsessed with castration?” he asked.

    UN delegates stand and applaud President Zelensky's video address
    REUTERSImage caption, Zelensky’s words received a standing ovation from some quarters

    The word “punishment” cropped up some 15 times in Mr Zelensky’s speech and was the first of his five non-negotiable conditions for peace.

    Russia must face consequences for its aggression, he said, through further sanctions and by the UN stripping Moscow of its powerful role as a permanent Security Council member.

    He also called for Ukrainian lives to be protected, and for the country’s internationally-recognized borders to be respected.

    As his fourth and fifth conditions, he called for new security guarantees for Kyiv, and for the world to unite in calling out Moscow’s armed aggression.

    Later on Wednesday, the European Union’s foreign policy chief said EU countries had agreed to hit Russia with new sanctions.

    Josep Borrell told reporters the new restrictions would target Russian individuals and the country’s economic sectors.

    Sporting his signature green T-shirt in his video, Mr Zelensky thanked the 101 countries at the UN which voted to allow him to address the assembly in a video rather than in person.

    He blasted the seven countries including Russia which voted against his video appearance and criticized those which have remained neutral during the conflict.

  • After Saudi Mediation: Russia releases 10 foreigners captured in Ukraine

    Following Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s intercession, Russia on Wednesday released 10 foreign prisoners of war who had been captured in Ukraine, according to the Saudi foreign ministry.

    According to a statement from the ministry, the liberated inmates included citizens of the United States, the United Kingdom, Croatia, Morocco, and Sweden. It further stated that a plane transporting the convicts had landed in the kingdom.

    “The relevant Saudi authorities received and transferred them from Russia to the kingdom and are facilitating procedures for their respective countries,” the statement said.

    The ministry did not identify the prisoners. A Saudi official said they were five Britons, two Americans, a Croatian, a Moroccan, and a Swedish national.

    British Prime Minister Liz Truss hailed the release of the British nationals on Twitter as “hugely welcome news” after “months of uncertainty and suffering for them and their families.”

    British lawmaker Robert Jenrick said Aiden Aslin was among those released. He was captured earlier this year and then sentenced to death by a court in the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR), one of Russia’s proxies in eastern Ukraine.

    Russia also released U.S. citizens Alexander Drueke, 39, and Andy Huynh, 27, a family representative told Reuters on Wednesday.

    The pair, both from Alabama, were captured in June while fighting in eastern Ukraine where they went to support Ukrainian troops resisting Russia’s invasion.

    Large numbers of foreigners have traveled to Ukraine to fight since Russia’s Feb. 24 invasion. Some of them have been caught by Russian forces, along with other foreigners in the country who say they were not fighters.

    Reuters could not immediately establish if the released group included Britons Shaun Pinner and Morocco-born Brahim Saadoun who were also captured and sentenced to death in Donetsk.

    A Swedish citizen, captured at the port city of Mariupol and facing a possible death sentence under the laws of the DPR, was among those released, Swedish Foreign Minister Ann Linde confirmed.

    “I can confirm that the Swede who in May was taken into custody by Russian forces is free and on his way to Sweden,” Linde told Swedish news agency TT on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York.

    Prince Mohammed has maintained close ties with Russian President Vladimir Putin, including within the framework of the OPEC+ oil producers group, despite heavy pressure from Washington, Riyadh’s traditional ally, to isolate Russia.

    Both Ukrainian and Russian forces have captured hundreds of enemy fighters since the start of the conflict, with a handful of prisoner exchanges having taken place.

    The head of the U.N. human rights mission in Ukraine said earlier this month that Russia was not allowing access to prisoners of war, adding that the U.N. had evidence that some had been subjected to torture and ill-treatment that could amount to war crimes.

    Russia denies torture or other forms of maltreatment of POWs.

  • Months of suffering ends after release of Britons says UK foreign secretary

    The foreign secretary, James Cleverly,  has welcomed the safe release of five British citizens who had been held as POWs in eastern Ukraine by forces backed by Russia.

    “This brings to an end many months of uncertainty and suffering, including the threat of the death penalty, for them and their families, at the hands of Russia,” he said.

    He said that was “tragically” not the case for British man Paul Urey who was captured by Russian-backed separatists in Ukraine and died in detention in July.

    “I would like to express my gratitude to President Zelensky and his team for their efforts to secure their release, and to HRH Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia, Mohammed bin Salman and his team, for their assistance.”

    He reiterated a call on Russia to comply with international humanitarian law and not exploit prisoners of war and civilian detainees for political purposes.

  • Picture of first prisoner of war released

    The first picture of the 10 Russian prisoners of war has surfaced.

    Five British nationals are among them, with other prisoners from America, Sweden, Croatia, and Morocco.

    The Saudi foreign ministry said the plane carrying the prisoners has landed in the kingdom.

    Prime Minister Liz Truss said they were handed over following efforts by the Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Saudi Arabian mediation.

     

  • Five British nationals among prisoners of war released by Russia

    Among the five war prisoners released by Russia, are British nationals.

    Earlier we reported that 10 foreign prisoners who were caught in Ukraine, were released following mediation by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, according to the Saudi foreign ministry.

    Prime Minister Liz Truss revealed that five Britons are among those released.

    Ms Truss tweeted: “Hugely welcome news that five British nationals held by Russian-backed proxies in eastern Ukraine are being safely returned, ending months of uncertainty and suffering for them and their families”.

    She thanked Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Saudi Arabia for their efforts to secure their release.