Head of the Security Service of Ukraine announced the expansion of the negotiation group on prisoner exchange.

The negotiation group that was preparing the exchange of prisoners of war on behalf of the Coordination Headquarters will be expanded. It will include representatives from the Security Service of Ukraine, Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense, Ministry of Internal Affairs, Foreign Intelligence Service, and the Ombudsman. This was announced by the head of the Security Service of Ukraine, Vasyl Maliuk, at a joint briefing. He is confident that this approach will allow for a more effective fight for the return of Ukrainian defenders.

«I am confident that this very approach will enable us to combine our efforts and fight more effectively for each Ukrainian defender to bring them home. It is precisely the synergy and combination of our efforts that will yield the relevant results as soon as possible,» — Maliuk is convinced.

The head of the Security Service of Ukraine noted that this applies not only to military personnel but also to civilians held captive by Russia since 2014. He confirmed that during the battles in the Kursk region, the special forces of the Security Service of Ukraine detained over a hundred Russians, including officers and representatives of the «Ahmat» unit.

«Yesterday, we conducted a delicate operation resulting in 102 Russians being captured. We are already thinking about how to make the most effective use of this to bring our defenders home,» — noted the head of the Security Service of Ukraine.

The organization of exchanges with Russian captives is currently being carried out with the participation of military counterintelligence and investigators from the Security Service of Ukraine, who document war crimes committed in Ukraine. After the captives provide testimony and undergo all the legal procedures by the Main Intelligence Directorate and the Security Service of Ukraine, Ukraine will be able to negotiate their exchange with Russia.

The Armed Forces of Ukraine have been fighting in the Kursk region for the second week, set up a military commandant's office, and control certain territory. The Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine stated that the warriors control 82 settlements and continue to conduct offensive actions.