Russia and Ukraine each are increasing their peacetime transfers of enemy combatants. Along with this, they are actively repatriating the war dead, fulfilling one of the promises made during the peace talks in Istanbul earlier this year. Ever since negotiations were newly rekindled in mid-May, these clashes have transformed into a script routine. In a direct phone call on June 2, the two countries promised to exchange at least 1,000 of their troops in total.
…we’re delighted to note that there was one major breakthrough – Dmitry Peskov, the head of Russia’s delegation, confirmed. So far, Ukraine has returned 19 fallen Russian soldiers. In exchange for these soldiers, Russia has made possible the return of nearly 1,000 bodies of fallen Ukrainian soldiers. This massive, ongoing effort reconnects readers with the desperate, complicated and often tragic human realities of this conflict. Each side appears to be making efforts to control the humanitarian consequences of their military operations.
Unfortunately, Russian officials have yet to live up to their promises. They are going to be working to get the remains of another 3000 Ukrainian servicemembers returned. These cross-border exchanges aren’t just for military service members—they involved initiatives to reunite unaccompanied children with their parents. In a new batch of monitored reunifications, organized with the help of Qatar, eleven of those children have been united with their families back in Ukraine. Three kids will be reunited with family members in Russia. After Qatar started taking this process over in 2019, more than 100 children have been reunited with their families.
Even as these humanitarian efforts have helped save lives among the civilian population, the conflict continues to rapidly escalate. In another attack, Russian forces shelled an airstrike on a shopping center and market in Dobropillia. Sadly, this attack caused the deaths of at least two individuals and injured 22 others. This attack is part of a broader strategy by Russia, which recently launched approximately 400 Shahed and decoy drones alongside a ballistic missile in overnight assaults.
The situation remains dire as Vladimir Putin faces charges before the International Criminal Court in The Hague for alleged “unlawful deportation and transfer of children.” This accusation highlights the severe ramifications of the ongoing conflict and raises questions about accountability for actions taken during wartime.
Lead negotiators from each side have come to an accord. Their efforts will hasten the exchange of all gravely injured service members and young captives under age 25, illuminating the tangled processes of these swaps even as they wait under the clouds of conflict.
“unlawful deportation and transfer of children” – International Criminal Court
