According to the head of Ukrainian intelligence, Russia captured 90% of all Ukrainian prisoners at the beginning of the invasion. A large number of elders, postal workers and various public utilities are also in captivity.
The head of the main intelligence department of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine, Kirill Budanov, said that 40% of all Ukrainian prisoners of war held by Russia are civilians. Among them are women and even children. He said this in an interview with the Voice of America.
According to Budanov, thanks to the exchanges of prisoners of war, about 2,000 people were returned home, which is a lot. However, the Russian Federation still holds a large number of military and civilians.
“First of all, they captured 90% of all prisoners of war in the first days. The first days – the first month. Plus a terrible tragedy in Mariupol, when everyone was forced to take the step they took,” Budanov said.
He said that a large number of elders, postal workers and various public utilities of those cities that are currently under occupation are in captivity of the Russian Federation.
As for nuclear weapons, according to Budanov, Russian President Vladimir Putin has repeatedly threatened to use them. He does not use it even when the Armed Forces of Ukraine begin the de-occupation of the Crimean peninsula.
“They (the Russians, ed.) clearly understand that, first, nuclear weapons are not weapons, they are a means of strategic deterrence. Secondly, the use of a nuclear deterrent by anyone in the world will lead to, shall we say, fatal will do it,” Budanov said.
Earlier, Budanov spoke about Putin’s plans to destabilize Moldova. According to the head of Ukrainian intelligence, the Russian Federation intends to curtail constitutional power there. To this end, they applied a number of measures, but they all failed.
We also recall that, according to Budanov, Russia is not ready for a protracted war. He noted that there will be several stages in the end of the war with Russia. The first is reaching the borders of 1991, after which it is worth talking about the security zone around Ukraine.
