That is due to the first days of the war when Russia “seized a terrible number of hostages,” including civilians and pensioners from the military. And it is unlikely that Ukraine will “catch up with those numbers,” said the head of Ukraine’s Intelligence, Kyrylo Budanov, in an interview with Radio Free Europe.
He also said that only 20% of Russian POWs that Ukraine has taken surrendered voluntarily because they thought, “I’m scared, I don’t want anything,” he said. Others were taken during active battles.
In Ukraine, there is “much less” of the so-called exchange fund than in Russia, Budanov admitted. “Our numbers are, unfortunately, lower. It must be understood. And, unfortunately, I think we will not be able to catch up with those numbers,” he said.
Budanov refused to give the exact number, saying that the amount of the so-called exchange fund is a state secret.
As was reported, in total, Ukraine exchanged 2,600 prisoners of war from Russian captivity, returning, in turn, Russian POWs it had taken.