Ukrainian pro-Kremlin opposition politician Viktor Medvedchuk, captured in April, is being swapped with Russia as part of a prisoner swap, according to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

Zelensky said 200 Ukrainian prisoners returned home in exchange for Medvedchuk.

“At the beginning, we were offered to return 50 of our own in exchange for one of those who are in the detention center of the Ukrainian Security Service. We talked. We insisted. The number went from 50 to 200 “, said Zelensky during his speech. speech night.

Vasyl Maliuk, acting head of Ukraine’s security services, said Medvedchuk “is not only the godfather of Putin’s son, but we are documenting him as a traitor.”

“Additionally, while working on the Medvedchuk case, we neutralized several agent networks, arrested several traitors and received a lot of valuable information that we use for counterintelligence that will bring us closer to our victory,” Maliuk added. .

Five Ukrainian commanders were included in the prisoner exchange, as were 55 prisoners who will be sent to Russia, according to Zelensky.

It’s unclear whether the 55 prisoners are all Russian or pro-Russian, but Zelensky described them as people “who fought against Ukraine and betrayed Ukraine”.

According to Andrii Yermak, head of the office of the President of Ukraine, a total of 215 POWs were released under a POW exchange between Russia and Ukraine, including ten foreign prisoners.

“Among those released from captivity are 108 fighters from Azov and other formations,” Yermak said. They are fighters from the controversial Azov Battalion, part of the Ukrainian National Guard, which Russia has previously labeled as neo-Nazis.

Yermak also said 10 foreigners were among those swapped.

“Based on requests from our international partners, we have also returned 10 foreign defenders from Ukraine. These are representatives of the countries that help us the most: the United States, Great Britain, Croatia, Sweden and Morocco,” Yermak said.

Head of the State Property Fund, Rustem Umerov, said: “They are safe and released from captivity. We are currently in the Saudi capital Riyadh. Further safe transfer is planned from here to their countries. with our partners”. Yermak added.

The Coordinating Headquarters for the Processing of Prisoners of War (CHTPW), a government institution under Defense Intelligence, said five Britons and two Americans were among the 10 foreign prisoners.

“It should be noted that the release of captive foreign soldiers took place in the largest exchange since the full-scale invasion of Russia,” the CHTPW said Thursday.

“The liberated heroes await their rehabilitation and adaptation; they will receive the necessary care,” added the CHTPW.