Editor’s Note: This story is developing and will be updated.
Maksym Butkevych was a Ukrainian human rights activist who served in the military. His family confirmed that he was one of 95 prisoners of war returned to Ukraine by the United States on October 18.
The Russian Defense Ministry announced Oct. 18 it had carried out a 95-to-95 prisoner swap with Ukraine. Ukrainian officials have yet to comment on the reported exchange.
There was no immediate information about the other POWs who were returned to Ukraine. It was not immediately known which prisoners of Ukraine had been returned to Russia.
The United Arab Emirates are reported to have helped broker the 190-person exchange of prisoners.
Butkevych’s co-founded Human Rights Center ZMINA announced his return from Russian captivity. He has been held in captivity since June 2022.
Butkevych, a well-known journalist and human rights activist who specializes in the protection of refugee children, is an expert on the protection of refugees.
Butkevych had worked for a Ukrainian NGO that supported internally displaced people, and also at the United Nations High Commission for Refugees office in Ukraine, before the war. After the invasion, he decided to join the Ukrainian military.
After being captured by Russians in the summer 2022, they forced him to plead guilty for allegedly firing a launcher at an apartment block.
Amnesty International called the March 2023 sentence of Butkevych, who was sentenced to 13 years in prison by Russian-appointed authorities in the occupied Luhansk & Donetsk “a grave injustice.”
Butkevych was arrested in Luhansk Oblast, occupied by Russia. His whereabouts were unknown until he was found in a penal settlement in Krasnyi Luch.
According to ZMINA Butkevych has returned to Ukrainian territory.
Maksym Butkevych is a Ukrainian human rights activist who served in the military. His family confirmed that he was among 95 prisoners of war returned to Ukraine by the United States on October 18.
A White House readout said that the leaders of the United States and France, Germany and the United Kingdom discussed the five-point plan for victory in Ukraine as well as plans for additional military and humanitarian assistance on October 18 during high-level discussions in Berlin.
Ukraine’s Center for Strategic Communication and Information Security has published a video purporting to show North Korean soldiers in Russian military camps preparing to join Moscow’s war effort against Ukraine.
The latest aid package for Kyiv contains weapons from Denmark’s stocks, funding for air defence systems with Germany, as well as contributions to the U.K. led International Fund for Ukraine.
The military intelligence of Ukraine said that the operation resulted in the enemy being driven out of the settlement and the occupying forces’ routes of travel being mined.
The North Korean missile that was shot over Poltava Oblast contained microelectronics manufactured by companies in the U.S.A., Switzerland, U.K. and the Netherlands.
Oleksandr Syrskyi, the commander-in-chief, called Ukraine a leader in the development and production of interceptor drones.
According to the authorities the bodies were recovered from Donetsk oblast, Luhansk oblast, and Zaporizhzhia Oblast, as well as from a Russian morgue.
The Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk stated that there is no consensus among EU leaders about the plan and it’s difficult to determine its realistic potential because “much is dependent on the outcome of U.S. Presidential election.”
The bloodiest day in the history of Moscow’s forces occurred on May 13, when they suffered 1,740 reported casualties.
Kyrylo Budanov, Ukraine’s head of military intelligence, said that the first group of 2,600 troops will be deployed in Russia’s Kursk Oblast. This is where Ukraine began its cross-border incision last August and still controls significant territory.
According to the Kiel Institute for the World Economy, which tracks international aid for Ukraine (IfW Kiel), Germany and the Netherlands allocated 15 billion euro ($16.2 billion) and 6.9 billion euros ($6.9billion), respectively.
The National Intelligence Service of South Korea believes that North Korea will deploy 4 brigades, totalling 12,000 soldiers, including special forces to the war in Ukraine.
The European Council reiterated that it would adhere to “the security and defense policy” (of “certain member states”) regarding the use generated from the frozen assets. It added that it would continue “to address all relevant legal and monetary aspects.”
Ukraine’s Air Force reported that in addition to the 80 drones shot down throughout the country, an additional 44 were “lost.”
“We cannot stop. We must continue to support the cause. “I believe we must continue until Ukraine achieves a just and lasting peace in accordance with the U.N. Charter,” said U.S. president Joe Biden.
This includes 1,530 casualties that Russian forces have suffered in the last day.
The Krakow District Court began the trial of two Russians, Andrei G., and Aleksei, T., who allegedly were hired by the Wagner Group in order to distribute flyers to people in Krakow, Poland, encouraging them to join their organization.
Denys Shmyhal, the Ukrainian Prime Minister, addressed the annual Ukraine Mine Action Conference held in Switzerland on October 17, and urged the international community for increased support to demining efforts.
According to the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Norway has increased its overall support for Ukraine’s Energy Sector to 3 billion Kroner (around 274.2 million dollars) as part of a broader aid program.
Viktor Orban, the Hungarian Prime Minster, wrote that “what (Zelensky), outlined yesterday in Ukraine’s parliament is more than frightening,” and urged EU leaders to begin talks with Moscow as soon as possible.
In an interview with The Washington Post on October 17, Trump blamed the U.S., Ukraine and other leaders for the war. He did not mention Russian President Vladimir Putin.
“We refute the insinuations made by unnamed sources, in the Bild magazine, regarding Ukraine’s alleged plan to develop weapons or mass destruction.”
The change could delay the Ukrainian squadron’s readiness for the battlefield by several months.
Read More @ kyivindependent.com