Prisoner swap lifts veil on russia’s hybrid war against Ukraine

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The true significance of the latest prisoner exchange between Ukraine and the russian-occupied Donbas may lie in the identities of the prisoners demanded by the kremlin, reads a piece by Adrian Karatnycky published on the Atlantic Council website.

By insisting on the release of figures unconnected to the ongoing conflict in eastern Ukraine, russia has tacitly admitted its involvement in the coordination of terrorist acts and other forms of hybrid warfare across Ukraine. Technically, the prisoner exchange occurred between the Ukrainian state and “separatist rebels”, with russia, Germany, and France acting as neutral arbiters and facilitators. In reality, the details of the transaction have shattered this diplomatic fiction and underscored the scope of russia’s hybrid campaign against Ukraine.

Formally a straight swap involving prisoners held by Ukraine and the russian-controlled eastern regions of the country, the exchange went far beyond such bounds. Those released to the russian side included numerous individuals with no relationship whatever to the Donbas conflict. Among them were people accused or convicted of terrorist acts in the cities of Odesa and Kharkiv, hundreds of miles away from the frontlines.

The list of criminals, terrorists and agent provocateurs featured in the recent prisoner exchange reveals a great deal about how diligently russia works to protect its proxies and operatives. It also serves as a reminder of the scale and scope of the operations russia has undertaken to infiltrate and destabilize Ukraine.

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