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Good morning to readers; Kyiv remains in Ukrainian hands.

With Rus-Ukr relations destroyed, there's one last group that negotiates with the enemy:

The Coordinating Headquarters, which relatives of POWs also call to get info on their loved ones...

Today, we take you inside.

in reply to Tim Mak

Tim Mak
Tim Mak
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One woman whose husband was in captivity attended a #POW exchange.

“There was a Ukrainian #soldier who was given a chocolate bar…I watched him unwrap it, hold it to his face, close his eyes and slowly breathe in the smell,” she said quietly. “It still gives me goosebumps."

#pow #soldier
in reply to Tim Mak

Tim Mak
Tim Mak
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At the time, her husband was still in captivity, but after a few months she received a call from the Coordinating Headquarters, the governmental body responsible for issues relating to #pows She was told that he had been returned.

But not all have been so lucky.

#POWs
in reply to Tim Mak

Tim Mak
Tim Mak
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Many wives of #POWs have no idea when or if ever her husband will be returned. The inner workings of the negotiations with #Russia over prisoner swaps are almost impossible to understand or predict – even to the negotiators.
#Russia #POWs
in reply to Tim Mak

Tim Mak
Tim Mak
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“Their [the Russian] policy is not to support us, not to give us any clear information,” says Petro, the spokesperson for the Coordinating Headquarters. The Counteroffensive spoke to Konstantinas, who specializes in hostage negotiations and trained Ukrainian POW negotiators.
in reply to Tim Mak

Tim Mak
Tim Mak
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#Russia deliberately delays the negotiations, he explains.

Russia "knows #Ukraine has a manpower shortage...and a good percentage of #POWs will go back into the fight.”

So when the negotiators finally sit face to face, it’s crucial for them to play their cards right.

#Russia #ukraine #POWs
in reply to Tim Mak

Tim Mak
Tim Mak
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Konstantinas told The Counteroffensive about how the negotiators have to prepare but he also said that more than anything the character of the person negotiating is the most important thing:
“You have to have a healthy mind, otherwise you won’t be able to do the job.
in reply to Tim Mak

Tim Mak
Tim Mak
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To read the full issue and learn about how Ukrainian POW negotiators are trained and prepare for negotiations click on the link in our bio!
in reply to Tim Mak

Tim Mak
Tim Mak
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NEWS OF THE DAY:

A Ukrainian settlement has been lost to Russian control, according to a Ukr special forces unit. Dozens of square miles have now been seized by Rus forces, the NYT reports and more than 4,000 are trying to evacuate from the region and avoid the combat.

https://www.nytimes.com/2024/05/11/world/europe/ukraine-russia-kharkiv.html

in reply to Tim Mak

Tim Mak
Tim Mak
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KREMLIN CLAIMS NINE VILLAGES CAPTURED: The Russian government – known to lie – has named a number of villages that it said it had now captured, along the Ukraine-Russia border in the Kharkiv region, according to The Telegraph.

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2024/05/12/russia-ukraine-zelensky-putin-war-latest-news-kharkiv/


Ukraine-Russia war live: Russia 'seizes nine villages in deep advance' into Ukraine

Russia captured nine villages in its surprise invasion of Ukraine’s northern border, the Kremlin said on Sunday.
The Telegraph
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