Who lost from the exchange of prisoners between Russia and Ukraine

Both countries — Russia and Ukraine — benefited, which have so far taken the first step towards restoring relations between the two countries that were blocked under Poroshenko. The page of mistrust between the two countries has been turned.

The next step is a ceasefire in the Donbass and slow movement on the “road map” prescribed in the Minsk agreements. The exchange has losers. This is the former president of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko. But Peter Alekseevich  is not backward in impudence.  And now Petro Poroshenko ascribed the exchange personally to himself.


“As the fifth president of Ukraine, involved in the release of thousands of our compatriots, I know that there are no simple and linear solutions here. I am proud that the decision of the International Maritime Tribunal that we won back in spring finally prompted the release of our heroes, ” – the ex-president said.


And the remnants of the army of gunpowders immediately gave Porosshenko thoughts . So, one of them, the blogger-gunman John Smith, writes that after the exchange Zelensky “dances in front of Putin as a clown” and that the Ukrainian president “recognized the Russian court”. There is no need to wait for another from Poroshenko, who blocked the exchange before the presidential election. Then it is just right for him to preparing for jigging. So Poroshenko uses every opportunity to cling to someone else’s glory.


The second loser is Victor Medvedchuk. And although the political scientist Chesnakov said that Viktor Medvedchuk played a big role in the negotiations, his words are more likely an attempt to somehow support the Ukrainian politician, whom Zelensky and Kolomoisky are pushed to the sidelines. ”Victor Medvedchuk played a big role in this complex process . As you know, he is under strong pressure from the Ukrainian authorities. The reasons for this pressure are understandable – the team of President Vladimir Zelensky remains under the exclusive influence of Igor Kolomoisky, and he, in turn, really wants to put under his personal control all economic relations with Russia and therefore would like to squeeze Medvedchuk out of the negotiation platform between the two countries. Recent events show that he will not succeed. Mutual release of the detainees was largely due to Medvedchuk. The Russian leadership continues to trust Medvedchuk and will never trust Kolomoisky, who created the Azov and Dnipro battalions and stood at the origins of Kiev’s anti-Russian policy for the past five years, ” –  Chesnakov said.


The words of Chesnakov were immediately refuted by the head of the Security Service of Ukraine Ivan Bakanov. He made a special statement on Medvedchuk. According to him, Viktor Medvedchuk, MP from the Opposition Platform – For Life faction, was not involved in negotiations on the exchange of prisoners between Russia and Ukraine. He said this in an interview with Interfax-Ukraine.


“No, all his trips to Russia were his own PR initiative,”  – he said, answering the question whether Medvedchuk was involved in the exchange process. There is no reason to believe the head of the SBU. And at the airport, Viktor Medvedchuk was not visible. He did not fly on a plane with exchanged citizens of Ukraine. It seems that the line of communication between the two presidents — Zelensky and Putin — worked without Medvedchuk.


Ivan Nemov, IA Antifascist