Ukraine hands Belarusian sentenced to 10 years for mercenary activities over to Russia

Maksim Ziaziulchik, a Belarusian citizen who was sentenced to 10 years for mercenary activities in January this year, has been handed over to Russia by Ukraine as part of a prisoner exchange on 7 March.

Source: Belarusian service Radio Liberty

Quote: "Belarusian citizen Maksim Ziaziulchik is likely to be among the 90 Russian soldiers held captive in Ukraine, who were handed over on 7 March in exchange for 130 Ukrainian soldiers."

The outlet claims that Ziaziulchik is the second man on the right behind the man in the black jacket 

Background:
On 18 January 2023, the Shevchenkivskyi District Court of Kyiv handed down a sentence to a citizen of Belarus and representative of the Belarusian secret services, Maksim Ziaziulchik. He was sentenced to 10 years in prison for mercenary activities. He went to fight against Ukraine as part of the Russian private military company Redut.

At the end of September 2022, Ziaziulchik was captured by the Armed Forces of Ukraine near the village of Yatskivka, Lyman district, Donetsk Oblast.

The Security Service of Ukraine (SSU) notes that the detainee immediately tried to pass himself off as an "ordinary" fighter and thus wanted to hide his affiliation with the Belarusian secret service. However, SSU military counter-intelligence officers "cracked" the offender and obtained information from him about his tasks.

According to the court materials, the accused man pleaded guilty at the hearing and said that he regretted his illegal actions.

Previously: 

On 7 March, another exchange of captured soldiers between Ukraine and Russia took place as a result of the negotiation process; Kyiv brought back 130 defenders in exchange for 90 Russians.

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