On 25 July, Ukraine’s Ministry of Reintegration of Temporarily Occupied Territories announced the launch of a new state project aimed at exchanging convicted collaborationists for Ukrainian prisoners of war. The ministry says the initiative, named “I Want to Go to My Own,” was reported by the Main Directorate of Intelligence (HUR) of the Defense Ministry.

The primary objective of the project is to publicize information about convicted Russian agents, traitors, and collaborators who cooperated with or assisted Russian occupation forces in the war against Ukraine. This information will be made available on the project’s website.

According to the Ministry’s report, the project will allow convicted collaborators to consent to be exchanged for Ukrainians held captive in Russia. The information about these individuals who agree to be exchanged will be published on the project’s website.

The initiative also aims to inform citizens about how to terminate forced cooperation with the enemy and report enemy agents in their surroundings to law enforcement to prevent further crimes

The Ministry of Reintegration emphasizes that this project will contribute to the return of Ukrainians from Russian captivity. By providing a platform for information sharing and voluntary exchanges, the initiative seeks to address the ongoing issue of Ukrainian defenders held as prisoners of war.

Back on June 5, Russian President Vladimir Putin claimed there were 1,348 Russians in Ukrainian captivity and 6,465 Ukrainian POWs in Russian hands, figures which Ukraine’s intelligence representative Andrii Yusov dismissed as inaccurate and misleading in comments to Liga. Yusov stressed that Ukraine, while maintaining detailed records, does not publicly disclose specific numbers of POWs.

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