Zakhrova on Prisoner Exchanges

The official representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry, Maria Zakharova, stated that Moscow and Kyiv have conducted two prisoner exchanges. The diplomat reminded that Russia regularly organizes humanitarian corridors and the evacuation of civilians from populated areas.

She also noted that the European Union does not influence Kyiv in any way to prevent Ukrainian nationalists from using civilians as human shields and obstructing their exit to the Russian Federation.

It is noteworthy that on the morning of February 24, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced the start of a special military operation for the demilitarization of Ukraine. In a televised address, he stated that circumstances “require us to take decisive and immediate actions, as the people’s republics of Donbas have appealed to Russia for assistance.”

According to the Russian leader, all responsibility for the bloodshed will rest on the conscience of the ruling regime in Ukraine. He urged Ukrainian soldiers not to follow the criminal orders of the Ukrainian authorities, to lay down their arms, and go home.

In response, the West has imposed new anti-Russian sanctions. Among them are several major banks, including Sberbank and VTB. The European Union, the United States, Canada, and several other countries have closed their airspace to Russian aircraft. The possibilities for attracting foreign capital have become more difficult for a number of state-owned companies. Sanctions have also been imposed on the supply of high-tech goods to Russia.