Viktor Medvedchuk, an oligarch from Ukraine who is a key ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin, was included in the prisoner swap that Russia and Ukraine agreed to and executed on Thursday.
Moscow agreed to release 10 foreign fighters who were fighting on the other side and 215 Ukrainians, including more than 100 members of the Above Regiment, a Ukrainian far-right paramilitary group, in exchange for Medvedchuk and 55 Russian and pro-Russian fighters, according to the Washington Post.
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Putin is the godfather to one of the oligarch’s daughters, and the two men have vacationed together in the past. Medvedchuk was put on house arrest last year for allegations of treason and looting Ukrainian resources in Crimea.
“This is not about Medvedchuk. There were a lot of our servicemen and pilots, whom Ukraine was ready to trade only for Azov members. Can you imagine how much joy we brought to the families of these people who were languishing in captivity for months?” First Deputy Chairman of the Federation Council Committee on Foreign Affairs Vladimir Dzhabarov said, according to TASS, a Russian state media outlet.
The outlet also reported that the swap is not indicative of larger negotiations or talks of a peace deal.
The 10 foreign POWs were sent to Saudi Arabia, where officials are facilitating their returns to their home countries, which include the United States, the United Kingdom, Sweden, and Croatia. Two of them are Americans, former servicemen Alexander Drueke, 39, and Andy Hyunh, 27, and they were captured in June while fighting alongside Ukrainian forces near the Kharkiv region.
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“We are thrilled to announce that Alex and Andy are free. They are safely in the custody of the US embassy in Saudi Arabia and after medical checks and debriefing they will return to the States. We deeply appreciate everyone’s prayers and especially the close communication and support of our elected officials, Ukrainian Ambassador Markarova, and our members of the US embassies in Ukraine and Saudi Arabia and the US Department of State,” Diana Shaw, Dreuke’s aunt and a spokeswoman for the families, said, according to CNN.
The Biden administration advised Americans not to travel to Ukraine, even as Ukrainian leaders have urged foreigners from across the globe to take up arms in defense of Ukraine’s sovereignty.
