Prisoner exchange is always more than just news. It’s a small celebration amid the thousands of tragedies of war.
The war has entered a stage of absolute, brutal carnage: close-range shooting, use of gas, cynical executions of prisoners.
We have all seen footage where our people are returned in a state of emaciation, resembling concentration camp inmates. Everyone sees and understands how high the price is.
Therefore, to get our own out from where they are starved and psychologically broken is priceless.
These people have put their fate and health on the line. They have left their families in an anxious, exhausting hell of waiting. They made this colossal sacrifice for all of us — and have every right to demand the same from society and the state.
Feeling that you are not discarded material, but important and needed, that a vast country stands behind you, capable not only of burning enemy refineries with rockets but also of pulling you out of dungeons — this is what sustains the morale of the army. It is better and more important than sinking another enemy ship at sea.
In this regard, Budanov’s work is how a state mechanism should operate. Promised — delivered. The priority on exchanges was announced, and we see the result.
It is evident that the Russians did not want to give away those who had not broken or collaborated for any price. People who have been there since the first wave of 2022.
Budanov often speaks of faith in negotiations (although, in my opinion, the enemy is just stalling, hoping that we will crumble), but in the realm of exchanges, the mechanism he has built works precisely.
It’s genuinely good that he is deeply involved in this due to the background of GUR, who have contacts in Russia — informal connections.
But it’s important to remember one more thing: no exchange is possible without an exchange fund. Behind every Ukrainian pulled from captivity is the bloody, hard work of our infantry, who are storming positions and capturing Russians right now, creating arguments for the negotiators.
The entire team involved in this process, you are amazing. Today, many families have the main celebration of their lives.
Photo: SBU
