In his speech, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy assures that the war will not be over until all prisoners of war are freed. Not a single Ukrainian will be left behind in Russian prisons. At the same time, a special tribunal is to punish the war crimes committed by the Russians.
In a brief ceremony, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyj celebrated the return of some of his soldiers from Russian captivity. "It was a special day in a special week," he said in his daily video speech on Friday evening. At the same time he announced that he would bring back more soldiers from Russian prison camps. "We will not leave a single Ukrainian in Russian prisons, camps and "isolations" (detention centers). We think of everyone."
Zelenskyj had presented medals to a number of former prisoners of war in Kyiv in the afternoon. In the past few days, Russia and Ukraine have exchanged prisoners of war several times. According to Zelenskyy, a total of 1,331 Ukrainian soldiers had been released from Russian captivity in this way since the beginning of the war in February. Meanwhile, Kyiv continues to seek a special tribunal to try Russian war crimes.
"As long as the fighting continues, as long as our heroes are dying in the trenches and as long as even one prisoner is in the hands of the enemy - this war is not over for me and certainly not for any of you," he said, according to the Presidential Chancellery during the conference Ceremony. Saturday marks the 283rd day of Russia's war of aggression against its neighboring country.
The efforts of the Ukrainian leadership to set up a special tribunal to prosecute Russian war crimes with Western support are continuing, Zelensky said. Work is continuing to gain a "critical mass" of supporters to form this tribunal. According to Kiev's ideas, it should be based on the model of the Nuremberg tribunal. While the Nazis were held accountable in Nuremberg, according to Kyiv, the political and military leadership of Russia for the war of aggression against the Ukraine is to be held accountable at this special tribunal.
"London, Paris, Berlin, Warsaw and other capitals - we are strengthening our positions everywhere and gathering the support of our partners," said Zelenskyy on Friday evening. "I'm sure there will be a tribunal, there will be justice."
