Maksym Andkevych, a Ukrainian journalist and human-rights activist, said he didn’t know he would be released as part of a prisoner exchange until he had already left for transit.
On October 18, Russia and Ukraine conducted their 58th exchange of prisoners, which included Butkevych. The activist was serving 13 years in a Russian penal settlement at the time of release.
Butkevych, a journalist for the Ukrainian media outlet Hromadske, said that the exchange was unannounced.
“No, I did not know, it was an unexpected event,” he said.
“Yesterday, after the inspection, I was told that I would be leaving in 30 minutes, but they did not tell me where.” I packed my bags because I thought that I was being transported and not for an exchange. We discovered the exchange on the way. It was a double shock.”
Butkevych is one of 95 Ukrainian POWs (Prisoners of War) who were returned on October 18. The list included 34 Azov Regiment members who defended Mariupol, a southern city in Ukraine, during the early months of Russia’s full-scale invasion.
Butkevych was a refugee worker with the United Nations High Commission for Refugees and a Ukrainian NGO before the war. He joined the Ukrainian military after the invasion of February 2022.
After being captured by Russians in the summer 2022, they forced him to plead guilty for allegedly firing a launcher at a building.
Amnesty International called the March 2023 sentence of Butkevych, who was sentenced to 13 years imprisonment by Russian-appointed authorities from the occupied Luhansk Oblast and Donetsk Oblasts “a grave injustice.”
Butkevych was arrested in Luhansk Oblast, occupied by Russia. His whereabouts were unknown until it was revealed he was in a penal settlement in Krasnyi Luch.
Butkevych said that his release proves it is possible to liberate more Ukrainians.
“I hope that this will give others hope,” he said.
“I was freed with a co-worker from a colony in which more than 40 prisoners of war were held on false charges. It is important that they know this is possible and the exchange is happening.
“Yesterday, after the inspection they told me I was leaving in 30 minutes, but they did not tell me where. On the way, we learned about the exchange.
Among the returned prisoners were also some Russian fighters mobilized and contract soldiers. These included kadyrovtsy – the notoriously brutal troops named after Chechen strongman Ramzan Kadyrov.
Anastasia Bobovnikova said, “The overall strategic positioning of the city remains under Ukraine’s control,” on October 18.
On October 18, Ukraine and Russia conducted their 58th Prisoner Exchange, involving over 190 prisoners of War, announced President Volodymyr Zelensky.
The United States will reward up to $10 million anyone who can provide information that prevents or disrupts foreign interference in elections linked to the state-sponsored Rybar organization. This was announced by the U.S. State Department. Rybar and its staff are accused of using social networks to interfere in the upcoming U.S. Presidential election.
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 enemy was forced out of the settlement and the occupying forces’ routes of travel were mined.
The North Korean missile that was shot over Poltava Oblast contained microelectronics manufactured by companies in the U.S.A., Switzerland and the U.K.
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 “a lot depends on the outcome the 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 a total of 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 countries” regarding the use generated from the frozen assets. It added that it would continue to address “all relevant legal and financial issues.”
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. & AlekseiT. They were allegedly hired to distribute flyers to Krakow, Poland, encouraging people to join this 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.
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