‘I Want to Go to My Own’: Exchanging POWs for Collaborators and Traitors

Ukrainian special services have launched a new project, “I Want to Go to My Own,” (Хочу к своим) to facilitate the return of Ukrainians from Russian captivity.

The project, announced at a press conference on Thursday, July 25, will allow for the transfer of information regarding traitors and their exchange for Ukrainian citizens.

The main goal of the project is to publicize information about convicted Russian agents, traitors, and collaborators who cooperated with or assisted Russian forces, which will be published on the project’s website. Convicted collaborators will be able to consent to be exchanged, which will also be indicated on the site.

The second goal is to provide an opportunity for Ukrainian citizens who, for various reasons, still collaborate with the enemy to cease such activities under certain conditions through a special form on the website.

The third goal is to allow Ukrainian citizens who have any information about enemy agents’ activities to share it.

The fourth goal is to help citizens wishing to leave Ukraine for Russia to do so. Applications from this form are coordinated by representatives of the Secretariat of the Ukrainian Parliament Commissioner for Human Rights, who will work on returning civilian Ukrainians home by using the collected information.

Andriy Yusov, a representative of the Main Intelligence Directorate (HUR), said that this is the third project aimed at returning Ukrainians.

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The first was “I Want to Live” for the voluntary surrender of Russian occupiers, and the second was “I Want to Find” for relatives of Russian soldiers.

In response to a question from Kyiv Post about civilian-to-civilian exchanges, Yusov said that “everything is regulated by Ukrainian legislation.”

“It is not about an exchange but a comprehensive process in which the willingness and desire of certain citizens to move to Russia and the aggressor state’s desire to return Ukrainian citizens are considered,” he said.

This requires a special statement, a court decision, the relevant structures, the Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War, and a letter from the Coordination Headquarters to investigative units, the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU), and the prosecutor’s office.

“Everything that happens on Ukraine’s part is within the legal framework. We are a democratic, law-based state,” Yusov added.

There are no official statistics on the number of civilians in Russian captivity, as the Russian authorities do not report them. However, in July last year, the Ukrainian Parliament Commissioner for Human Rights, Dmytro Lubinets, reported that more than 25,000 civilian hostages were in Russian captivity.

The spokesperson of the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU), Artem Dekhtyarenko, said during the press conference that since the beginning of the full-scale invasion, 54 exchanges have taken place, resulting in the return of 3,405 Ukrainian citizens.

“And we continue to work to fulfill the President’s order to bring every Ukrainian home. An important aspect is that we work not only on returning military personnel but also civilians, as the Russian Federation systematically violates the laws and customs of war by capturing civilians. Therefore, the ‘I Want to Go to My Own’ project is an additional opportunity to facilitate exchanges,” he said.

Ukraine exchanges military personnel and secret agents during these swaps. One example is that of a clergyman was exchanged for 28 Ukrainian defenders.

“It is especially important to note that only cases with court verdicts can participate in this project, and only with the consent of the convicted themselves,” Dekhtyarenko added.

Regarding spotters for Russian bombardment, almost 500 criminal cases have been opened, with 120 individuals convicted.

Of all those convicted, about 500 people have agreed to participate in the exchange program. Over 200 of these 500 have consented to the publication of their data in this project, the SBU spokesperson said.

“So, currently, these people are counting on an exchange to Russia. But you can see that Russia is in no hurry to take back its own. On the site, under each case, there is a time counter showing how long this person has been waiting for the exchange.”