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Prisoners held by both Russia and Ukraine Complain to leaders for help


High-ranking prisoners held by both Russia and Ukraineincluding two British fighters believed to be captured in Mariupol, appealed on Monday to be exchanged.

Viktor Medvedchuk, one of Ukraine’s richest oligarchs and a close ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin, appeared in the 34-second video posted on Twitter by Ukraine’s Security Service. Medvedchuk, 67, the leader of a Ukrainian political party, asked both Putin and Ukraine’s President, Volodymyr Zelensky, to exchange him for Mariupol’s defenders as well as any civilians trapped in the port city. the south is besieged, crushed.

Mr. Medvedchuk, who was under house arrest for treason when the war began but escaped, revealed himself after being arrested on April 12, handcuffed, in a state of military fatigue and looked dismayed and bewildered. During Monday’s appeal, he combed his hair and wore a zippered cardigan.

Mr. Medvedchuk is considered particularly close to Mr. Putin, who is godfather to his youngest daughter.

Two British fighter jets for Ukraine apparently captured in Mariupol appeared on Russian state TV, demanding their release in exchange for Mr. Medvedchuk. All three men appear to have spoken while in custody. The two Britons made the proposal at the urging of an unidentified man on camera, who showed them a clip from a press conference that Mr Medvedchuk’s wife, Oksana, had given. over the weekend to demand his release. That sparked speculation that the Russians, who controlled the interview process, came up with the idea of ​​the exchange.

It is not clear that the British are free to say what they want. The two – Shaun Pinner, 48, and Aiden Aslin, 28 – spoke privately during the interview that aired Monday on Rossiya 24, a state-run channel. Both men asked the British government for support in exchange for Mr. Medvedchuk. “I want to call on the government to let me go home; I want to see my wife again,” said Mr Pinner, speaking directly to Prime Minister Boris Johnson and saying both men needed help.

The two fought on the Ukrainian side of Mariupol, which Russian forces had almost completely captured, in addition to the vast Azovstal steelmaking complex. Both appeared healthy, if a little feeble and filthy, and Mr. Aslin had a wound on his forehead. The Geneva Convention bar enforces interviews with prisoners of war.



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