19‑year-old returned to Russia in the latest Ukraine prisoner swap

As a result of the prisoner exchange that took place on Wednesday, 19-year-old Savieliy Vasiliev returned from Ukrainian captivity to the Russian Federation. The young man was forced to go to the front a year earlier despite having no experience. He is the youngest military person released from captivity.

On Wednesday, the Russian Ministry of Defence and then the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky, announced that Kyiv and Moscow had conducted the 53rd prisoner exchange since the start of the full-scale war. Each side released 95 people, and the success of this event is attributed to the United Arab Emirates, which acts as a mediator between the sides.

According to "The Moscow Times," as a result of the prisoner exchange, 19-year-old Savieliy Vasiliev returned from Ukrainian captivity to the Russian Federation. He was sent to war a year earlier, having no experience.

Savieliy turned out to be the youngest among those on the exchange list. His birth date is indicated as June 16, 2005. In May, he interviewed Ukrainian journalist Dmitry Karpenko. The publication date of the conversation indicates that Vasiliev was captured before turning 19.

In the interview, Vasiliev said that he went to war at 18, having no experience in military service. This information was confirmed by the young man's mother, whom Karpenko called. As he said himself, the young man was forced to sign a contract with the Russian Ministry of Defence due to the threat of prosecution. Shortly before being sent to the front, Savieliy bought a car that turned out to be stolen.

Savieliy claimed that he evacuated the wounded during the war and delivered dry rations to the front line. During one of these trips, the armoured personnel carrier he was riding in was blown up by a mine. It was then that Savieliy was captured. He did not say precisely when it happened but mentioned that it was "snowing."

Among the prisoners who, along with Savieliy, returned to Russia, at least 20 people have a criminal past or were suspects in criminal cases, reports "Agentstvo.News".

The list included, among others, Alexei Lantsov from Kostroma, registered as a member of an organized crime group, Alexander Nikitin from Komsomolsk-on-Amur, wanted for murder, and Belgorod resident Yevgeny Zuev, convicted of producing or distributing pornographic materials involving minors.

On July 17, Kyiv and Moscow, through the mediation of the United Arab Emirates, conducted another prisoner exchange following the "95 for 95" format.

This prisoner exchange was the sixth conducted with the support of the United Arab Emirates since the beginning of 2024 and the 54th since the start of the full-scale war.