Pope Francis reveals he was involved in efforts to release 300 Ukrainian prisoners held by Russia
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Pope Francis reveals he was involved in efforts to release 300 Ukrainian prisoners held by Russia after Kyiv military chief travelled to the Vatican with a list of captives
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Pope Francis has revealed he was involved in efforts to release 300 Ukrainian prisoners of war held by Russia.
The head of the Catholic Church said he received ‘Ukrainian emissaries’ at the Vatican, including a military chief who brought with him a list ‘of more than 300 prisoners’.
He made the remarks on September 15, a week before Russia and Ukraine carried out an unexpected prisoner swap, the largest since the war began and involving almost 300 people.
The pope said, according to the Italian Jesuit magazine Civilta Cattolica: ‘They asked me to do something so that an exchange could be made.
‘I immediately called the Russian ambassador to see if something could be done, if an exchange of prisoners could be expedited,’ he added, without providing any further details.
Pope Francis has revealed he was involved in efforts to release 300 Ukrainian prisoners of war held by Russia
![Pope Francis reveals he was involved in efforts to release 300 Ukrainian prisoners held by Russia 2 Ukrainian soldiers released in a prisoner exchange between Russia and Ukraine hold the Ukrainian flag close to Chernihiv last week](https://nybreaking.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/1664471304_677_Pope-Francis-reveals-he-was-involved-in-efforts-to-release.jpg)
Ukrainian soldiers released in a prisoner exchange between Russia and Ukraine hold the Ukrainian flag close to Chernihiv last week
Francis has been trying since the start of the invasion to open a path of dialogue with Moscow, while condemning a ‘cruel and senseless war’.
Last week’s prisoner swap came as a surprise, hours after he escalated the war by announcing a partial mobilisation and threatening nuclear warfare.
President Volodymyr Zelensky said the swap – which involved help from Turkey and Saudi Arabia – had been under preparation for quite a long time and involved intense haggling.
Under the terms of the deal, 215 Ukrainians – most of whom were captured after the fall of Mariupol – were released.
In exchange, Ukraine sent back 55 Russians and pro-Moscow Ukrainians and Viktor Medvedchuk, the leader of a banned pro-Russian party who was facing treason charges.
![Pope Francis reveals he was involved in efforts to release 300 Ukrainian prisoners held by Russia 4 Prisoners of war from the self-proclaimed Donetsk and Luhansk People's Republics leave the military plane as they arrive at an unknown location in Russia](https://nybreaking.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/1664471304_929_Pope-Francis-reveals-he-was-involved-in-efforts-to-release.jpg)
Prisoners of war from the self-proclaimed Donetsk and Luhansk People’s Republics leave the military plane as they arrive at an unknown location in Russia
‘This is clearly a victory for our country, for our entire society. And the main thing is that 215 families can see their loved ones safe and at home,’ Zelensky said in a video address.
‘We remember all our people and try to save every Ukrainian. This is the meaning of Ukraine, our essence, this is what distinguishes us from the enemy.’
Zelensky thanked Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan for his help and said five senior Ukrainian commanders would remain in Turkey until the end of the war.
Kyiv had a long and difficult fight to secure the release of the five, he said.
They include Lieutenant Colonel Denys Prokopenko, commander of the Azov battalion that did much of the fighting, and his deputy, Svyatoslav Palamar.
![Pope Francis reveals he was involved in efforts to release 300 Ukrainian prisoners held by Russia 6 Under the terms of the deal, 215 Ukrainians - most of whom were captured after the fall of Mariupol - were released](https://nybreaking.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/1664471304_944_Pope-Francis-reveals-he-was-involved-in-efforts-to-release.jpg)
Under the terms of the deal, 215 Ukrainians – most of whom were captured after the fall of Mariupol – were released
Also freed was Serhiy Volynsky, the commander of the 36th Marine Brigade.
The three men had helped lead a dogged weeks-long resistance from the bunkers and tunnels below Mariupol’s giant steel works before they and hundreds of Azov fighters surrendered in May to Russian-backed forces.
‘We’re proud of what you’ve done for our nation, proud of each and every one of you,’ Zelensky said in a video call with the five which was released by his office.
The head of the U.N. human rights mission in Ukraine said earlier this month that Russia was not allowing access to prisoners of war, adding that the U.N. had evidence that some had been subjected to torture and ill-treatment that could amount to war crimes.
Russia denies torture or other forms of maltreatment of POWs.