Russian soldiers who tortured, raped or killed civilians are not to be exchanged – Ukraine's Prosecutor General's Office

Among the Russian servicemen convicted of war crimes in Ukraine, only a few participated in the exchange procedure; those who are accused of particularly serious crimes against civilians are not to be exchanged. 

Source: Yurii Belousov, Head of the Department for Combating Crimes Committed during the Armed Conflict at the Office of the Prosecutor General, in an interview with Interfax-Ukraine news agency 

Quote: "We have a particular stance on this: if a person commits especially serious crimes, then he is to serve his sentence in Ukraine and is not subject to exchange. These are our conditional red lines. Because if we exchange everyone, what will stop them from committing war crimes?

When this concerns murder, sexual violence, torture, then these sentences will be served in Ukraine."

Details: Regarding the exchange, the representative of the Prosecutor General’s Office noted that there should be a certain balance.

On the one hand, Ukraine has obligations to the victims – people require justice and punishment of the guilty. On the other hand, there are obligations to Ukrainian citizens held in Russian captivity. "Therefore, these are difficult decisions," added the head of the department.

Specifying how many of the convicts participated in the exchange procedure, Belousov said that "they can be counted in ones, not in dozens."

When it comes to war crimes, he said, this typically applies to citizens of the Russian Federation; citizens of Ukraine from certain regions of the Luhansk and Donetsk Oblast are also captured, but their actions are qualified under the article of "high treason."

Speaking about how many Russian military men are physically held in Ukraine, the head of the Department of War said: "The figure is hundreds. I'd like to note that we do not have civilian hostages, while they hold our civilians [in captivity – ed.]."

Belousov added that no standards stipulate where to keep the Russian soldiers after the court verdict. "Therefore, everything depends on the situation: there are those who are also kept in the camp (for prisoners of war) – this is also, in fact, a place of detention," he said.

Ukrainska Pravda is the place where you will find the most up-to-date information about everything related to the war in Ukraine. Follow us on Twitter, support us, or become our patron!