kyiv.Ukraine.Ukraine Gate – December 14,2021- President Volodymyr Zelensky said in an interview with the Italian newspaper La Repubblica that Ukrainian citizens illegally detained by Russia in the temporarily occupied territories are in a terrible condition, which is why Russia cannot show them to representatives of the International Committee of the Red Cross.
“As an example, one of the agreements of the summit in the Normandy format in Paris in 2019, which is still not implemented – is the agreement on prisoners. Hundreds of our people are being held captive in the occupied territories, and Russia has made a clear promise to ensure full and unconditional admission of international organizations. But this is not happening, because the Ukrainian prisoners are in such a terrible state that Russia cannot show them to the Red Cross, “the President said.
At the same time, the President stressed that Christmas is coming soon and that is why now is the time to try as much as possible to agree on a ceasefire, release of prisoners and creation of conditions for safe movement of people.
Zelensky hopes that, in particular, Italy can “say its word, which will be heard in Moscow, and Vladimir Putin will not be able to ignore it.”
During a press marathon on November 26, President Volodymyr Zelensky expressed hope for the help of Turkish Presidents Recep Tayyip Erdogan and US President Joe Biden in the release of Ukrainian prisoners of war and hostages illegally held in Russia.
On December 10, Oleksiy Arestovych , a spokesman for the Ukrainian delegation to the Tripartite Contact Group, said the Ukrainian side offered three options for exchanging detainees: 13 on 13, 24 on 24 and 60 on 60, but the Russian Federation still rejected them.
