Analysts of the American Institute for the Study of War (ISW) believe that the time for the exchange of prisoners of Russia was not chosen by chance. This is stated in another summary of the Institute, writes UNN.
Yesterday's prisoner exchange between russia and Ukraine was the largest since the start of the full-scale war and the first in 2024.
Ukrainian officials said that 230 servicemen had returned from Russian captivity. The Russian side, on the other hand, said 248 military personnel had been handed over to them.
In ISW's opinion, it is not by chance that Russia has shown its readiness for an exchange now. Over the past few weeks, there have been several incidents in which Russian troops treated Ukrainian prisoners in violation of the Geneva Convention.
Perhaps, ISW writes, the Russian leadership decided to conduct such a large exchange in order to undermine the credibility of reports of mistreatment of Ukrainian POWs and to portray Russia as interested in acting within the framework of international law.
ISW assesses that senior Russian officials are interested in making Russia look like it is adhering to humanitarian and other legal norms, and the timing of this exchange may be part of a broader information effort.
