Budanov hints that some of the Azovstal defenders could soon return home 

ALONA MAZURENKO – WEDNESDAY, 22 JUNE 2022, 23:44

Kyrylo Budanov, head of the Chief Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defence of Ukraine, who is responsible for coordinating the exchange of the Ukrainian soldiers who defended Azovstal, said that he hopes to secure the release of a "significant number" of Ukrainian prisoners of war "in the very near future".

Source: Budanov on air during the 24/7 national joint newscast

Quote: "We are very clear on the fate of almost all [of the Ukrainian prisoners of war - ed.]. We are working on freeing them from captivity. I hope that many of them will be able to reunite with their loved ones at home in the very near future…

We hope to secure the release of a fairly significant number of our prisoners of war in the very near future. The media will be informed as soon as it happens."

Details: According to Budanov, it is still too early to call the date when the prisoner swap might take place.

He added that he wasn’t talking about one mass exchange: "We are talking about an exchange of prisoners that will have many phases. It won’t be one single exchange. There will be several phases. Small exchanges are already happening frequently."

The Ukrainian intelligence chief said the most difficult negotiations concern the leaders of the Ukrainian defenders of Azovstal: "It’s a lot easier with regard to the rank and file. Obviously, it’s a lot more difficult when it comes to unit commanders."

Budanov also said that he knew the exact numbers of Ukrainian prisoners of war held by the Russians and Russian prisoners of war held by the Ukrainians, but he did not disclose those numbers.

Background:

• The Ukrainian soldiers who took part in the defence of Mariupol and who were able to leave Azovstal are being held captive in a penal colony in the occupied territory of Donetsk Oblast. Ukrainska Pravda sources in the Ukrainian government have confirmed that all 2,449 people who left Azovstal are now being held in Olenivka, an urban-type settlement in Donetsk Oblast, as prisoners of war.
• The Mariupol defenders were able to leave Azovstal for Russian-controlled territory in Ukraine between 16 and 20 May. According to Russia, 2,439 soldiers left the Azovstal bunkers. Representatives of the International Committee of the Red Cross registered the Ukrainian soldiers leaving Azovstal as prisoners of war.
• The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine has stated that the defenders of Mariupol had completed their combat mission, and unit commanders had been ordered to save the lives of the military personnel. The Ukrainian Ministry of Defence insisted that the only way to rescue the Ukrainian soldiers defending Azovstal was to follow the above-mentioned procedure.
• Russians and their collaborators from the temporarily occupied territories of Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts are threatening Ukrainian soldiers with a "tribunal". Prisoner exchange has not been discussed so far, despite previous agreements.
• On 19 June, Russian media reported that commanders of the Azov Regiment had been taken from the temporarily occupied territories of Donetsk Oblast to Russia for "investigations". Just before that, Denys Prokopenko, commander of the Azov Regiment, handed over his duties to Major Mykyta Nadtochii.