Putin’s war
After a break of several months: Ukraine hosts a major prisoner exchange with Russia
Ukraine said the prisoner exchange was the largest since the Russian invasion more than 22 months ago.
© Handout / UKRAINIAN PRESIDENTIAL PRESS SERVICE / AFP
Russia and Ukraine have exchanged almost 480 prisoners – the largest exchange since the start of the war. Meanwhile, fighting continues on the front in the east and south. An overview of the situation.
Russia continues its series of nighttime airstrikes Ukraine continued. An air alarm was triggered in the eastern Ukrainian city of Kharkiv late on Wednesday evening. “An explosion in Kharkiv. The occupiers strike,” wrote the head of the Kharkiv regional military administration, Oleh Synyehubov, on Telegram. There was initially no information on damage or injuries. Russian combat drones also flew over Ukraine for several hours and threatened areas in the south and west.
After days of numerous Russian air strikes and Ukrainian counterattacks over the New Year, there was a positive sign: both sides exchanged prisoners again after a break of several months. 230 Ukrainian men and women returned from Russian captivity. 248 Russian prisoners were released to their homeland.
On the front in the east and south, fighting continued, although less intense due to an approaching cold front. In its evening report for Wednesday, the Ukrainian General Staff spoke of 47 Russian attack attempts. Thursday marks the 680th day since Russia began its large-scale invasion of the neighboring country.
Ukraine: Largest prisoner exchange since the start of the war
According to the Ukrainian coordination staff, the exchange of prisoners was the largest since the Russian invasion more than 22 months ago. Among those returning were defenders of the port city of Mariupol and Snake Island. “We are thinking about all Ukrainians who are in Russian captivity,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said in a video address. “There was a long pause in exchanges, but there was no pause in negotiations for an exchange.” He was happy that the blockade had been overcome.
The last time there was an exchange was in July last year. Ukraine has already brought back 2,828 of its citizens from Russian captivity during the war, said Andryi Yusov, spokesman for the HUR military intelligence service. According to Kiev, over 4,000 Ukrainians are still in Russian captivity.
Energy supplier does not expect the power grid to collapse
The Ukrainian energy supplier Ukrenerho does not expect the power grid to collapse. “The enemy will not achieve this,” said Ukrenerho boss Volodymyr Kudrytskyj in Kiev. Hits could cause problems. “But I’m sure it will only be temporary interruptions in power supply due to damage to some facilities,” he said. “There will be no collapse of the power grid.” He still advised Ukrainians to use electricity sparingly.
Last winter, Russia used drones and missiles to try to destroy electricity, heat and water supplies in Ukraine. There were failures, but overall the system held up. There were also attacks on the energy infrastructure this winter. According to Western experts, the attacks are currently primarily directed against Ukrainian arms factories.
Better power supply for occupied Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant
To prevent a nuclear accident, the emergency power system at the occupied Ukrainian nuclear power plant in Zaporizhzhia was improved. At the insistence of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the Russian operators of the frontline nuclear power plant set up a system that automatically connects the plant to a backup power line in the event of a main line failure. IAEA chief Rafael Grossi announced this on Wednesday in Vienna.
War in Ukraine
Cold, power outages, storms: the second winter of war is plaguing the Ukrainians at the front
The power plant, which currently does not generate electricity, needs electricity from outside to ensure long-term cooling of the reactors. Temporary power outages have already occurred several times at the nuclear power plant as a result of the Russian war of aggression.
That will be important on Thursday
The Ukrainian military continues to expect Russian attacks on the front in the east and south. The focus of the fighting is likely to continue to be the city of Avdiivka in Donbass, which is close to the Russian-controlled city of Donetsk.