The President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky, said that there are currently about 7,000 Ukrainians in Russian prisons. He compared the conditions of their detention to Belarusian prisons, calling them identical regimes marked by hatred toward people.
According to the president, the process of liberation is extremely complex and requires a number of agreements. In an interview with a Belarusian independent media, Zelensky emphasized the similarity between the regimes of the two states.
Context and Prospects for Liberation
“I do not believe that Russia’s prisons differ from Belarusian prisons in any way. They are the same regimes, with hatred toward people. The only difference is that in Belarus, Belarusians are imprisoned, while in Russia, Ukrainians are imprisoned. And they treat Ukrainians more harshly than those political prisoners who are citizens of other states”
– President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky
Zelensky noted that prospects for liberation may emerge with active involvement by the United States: Ukraine is ready to help, provide its resources, and use its territory to exchange Belarusian political prisoners who were released.
“We can negotiate with the Americans about Lukashenko. We are ready to help, and we did help when the Americans were negotiating with Lukashenko: they provided our territory, transport, and medical care for those Belarusian political prisoners who were released. We transported them across our territory.”
– President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky
The president emphasized: freeing from prisons is a very complex process, but Ukraine is ready to support Belarusian citizens within the limits of its capabilities and international agreements.
“But freeing people from prisons is very difficult. It always requires swapping someone for someone else. To free Belarusians, you must find what to exchange. The Americans have found how to exchange.”
– President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky
Overall, all signs point to the seriousness of the topic and the need for careful coordination at the international level. Although the path to a general liberation remains challenging, Ukraine is interested in actions within the framework of international agreements and humanitarian efforts to support Belarusian citizens and their loved ones.