In a week, petition for exchange of POWs and dead bodies with Ukraine gains over 23,000 signatures

The petition to President Putin calling to exchange the prisoners of war (POWs) and casualties' bodies with Ukraine has gained over 23,000 signatures.

The petition entitled "Immediately start exchanging POWs and casualties' bodies with Ukraine under the principle all for all" was posted on the Change.org website seven days ago and addressed to the President of Russia; it was created by Anatoly Golov, a member of the "Yabloko" Party.

"According to the official data of the Russian Ministry of Defence (MoD), during the special military operation in Ukraine, only from February 24 to March 2, a total of 498 Russian military servicemen and 2870 Ukrainian ones had perished. We call for the speedy exchange of casualties' bodies and the POWs with the Ukrainian party on the principle of 'all for all'. We call for a ceasefire regime for the duration of the exchange," the petition says.

Its author has explained that such procedures are provided for by international treaties. "And, based on humane considerations, they must be carried out as soon as possible so that the captured Russian servicemen return to their families, and their relatives and friends can say goodbye to the dead," the petitions reads.

This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on March 13, 2022 at 02:10 pm MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.