Report reveals details of talks between Russia and Ukraine – that’s what it’s about. Rumors about Putin’s death are causing a sensation in Russia – that’s what’s behind it

Away from the public eye and the bloody front line, Ukraine and Russia are still in talks. Details are largely secret, the fronts are hardened. Nevertheless, negotiations must continue somehow. Neither side wants to reveal the existence of these backdoor talks.

The two countries, now arch enemies in a grueling war, are negotiating a number of key humanitarian issues. A recent report sheds light on the details of the behind-the-scenes discussions.

Emotional negotiations: Russia and Ukraine talk to each other

The majority of war cases are handled directly by individual representatives. The mostly secret negotiations also take place in harsh and unpleasant personal meetings at the Ukrainian-Russian border and in Istanbul, as well as in telephone conversations. This was reported by the Washington Post, citing Ukrainian officials involved in the talks.

In some cases, Moscow and Kiev use mediators. These include Turkey, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, the Vatican and the International Committee of the Red Cross.

According to the report, the talks mainly concern the exchange of prisoners of war and dead soldiers and the return of Ukrainian children from Russia.

“It’s very, very difficult emotionally,” said Dmytro Usov, a Ukrainian military intelligence official. He heads a coordination center that oversees prisoner exchange negotiations. Because: “They (representatives from Russia) are the enemy, but if we talk about the negotiation process, this conflict of interest must be overcome,” Usov said.

Middlemen are a way out. But: “If we can do it ourselves, we will solve it,” said Ukrainian presidential adviser Mykhailo Podoljak.

Peace talks: Russia and Ukraine are not on the right track

Given Russia’s attempt to overthrow the Ukrainian government and claim the territory for itself, the report says there is little room for peace negotiations at best. In March 2022, a month after the start of the war, a series of official peace talks collapsed. Instead, Ukraine and Russia are focusing on fundamental issues of mutual interest, including the exchange of prisoners of war.

On the Russian side, negotiations on the exchange of prisoners of war are being conducted by a coordination center subordinate to the Russian Ministry of Defense. According to Usov, individual Russian politicians and fighting organizations such as the Wagner and Akhmat mercenary group, which is controlled by Chechen ruler Ramzan Kadyrov, have also campaigned for the release of certain prisoners.

Systematic torture in Russia and vans full of corpses

The Geneva Conventions stipulate that prisoners of war must be exchanged after the end of hostilities. However, Usov said Ukraine wanted to get its captured fighters back as quickly as possible. Because: There is evidence that they are systematically tortured. With this statement he refers to investigations by the United Nations.

The exchange of prisoners of war and dead soldiers mainly takes place in the northeast of Ukraine, in the Sumy region. It is the only part of the Ukrainian-Russian border where the Russian army is not actively trying to advance. According to the Washington Post, refrigerated trucks full of bodies are driven to the border by Russian and Ukrainian rescuers about twice a month. This was confirmed by Oleh Kotenko, a Ukrainian official who oversaw the transfers and the search for missing soldiers until September.

“It is necessary to agree with the enemy on something, on humanitarian missions,” Kotenko said. Otherwise, “1,700 men could not have been buried with dignity, as heroes.” However, the Russian Defense Ministry did not respond to a request for comment.

Toxic atmosphere during negotiations in Turkey

Turkey has become the main venue for both sides to advance negotiations when they are at a standstill. It was chosen as neutral territory. However, after a short round of peace talks in Belarus in March 2022, this was literally poisoned: several members of the Ukrainian delegation mysteriously fell ill.

There have been some public meetings between Ukrainian and Russian officials in Istanbul, but the conversations are often not made public. It is not known exactly how many there were.

After talks on the sidelines of the grain talks, an agreement was reached on the largest prisoner swap to date, Usov explained: 215 Ukrainians and ten foreign fighters were swapped in September 2022 for 55 Russian officers and pro-Russian Ukrainian politician and Putin ally Viktor Medvedchuk. The 215 Ukrainians went to Turkey. The foreign fighters flew to Saudi Arabia.

The last known exchange of prisoners of war – 45 from each side – took place in July. The negotiations “cannot be conducted in such a way that one party gets more or less,” Usov said.

Ukraine wants to return children kidnapped by Russia

This month, Qatar helped repatriate four Ukrainian children from Russia. Qatar is only the third country to broker a successful deal between Russia and Ukraine.

An official involved in the agreement said Qatar intervened because of the complexity of the cases. In March, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Putin and Russia’s Commissioner for Children’s Rights, Marija Lvowa-Belova. The reason: war crimes related to the forced relocation of Ukrainian children. Russia has strongly denied the allegations.

As a rule, Russia leaves children alone with their guardians or legal representatives. This means that parents or other relatives would have to travel to Russia. A journey that may be impossible under war conditions.

But here too, according to the Washington Post, discussions are still taking place: for example between the Ukrainian human rights ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets and his Russian counterpart Tatyana Moskalova. So you’re talking about missing children. According to Lubinets, no results so far.

However, since March, several children have returned to Ukraine every six months. They are dropped off in the far west of the Ukrainian-Belarusian border and cross the border on foot. In Ukraine they are arrested by the non-governmental organization Save Ukraine.

Further details remain hush-hush. Lubinets declined to comment on how the children – who came via Belarus – were returned. But: it became easier after the arrest warrant for Putin was issued. It is not yet time to reveal more details.