The Ukrainian president Poroshenko lost his interest in the soldiers who have been captured by the separatists, the Ukrainian general Volodymyr Ruban, the head of the institute participating in the exchange of the war prisoners said.

Ruban, an ex-pilot and retired colonel general, is convinced that the cruelty and absurdity of the war in Ukraine will further intensify in the course the next year.

Today, he heads the very respectful Centre of the Officer Corps‘ Volunteers that devotes itselves entirely to the exchange of the war prisoners. Up till now, the centre has contributed to the liberation of more than five hundred Ukrainian soldiers who have been captured by the pro-Russian separatists.

The official Ukrainian intelligence agency SBU pretends that there are some two hundred soldiers being liberated from the hands of the separatists but these numbers are, in the opinion of Ruban, not realistic. In accordance with the information provided by the Ruban’s centre, there has been about one thousand Ukrainian soldiers liberated up till now.

„In the war, there have been some three and half thousand Ukrainian soldiers killed,“ Ruban said in an interview given to the Aktuálně.cz. „The separatist pretend there have been at least twenty thousand people killed, soldiers, militia and civilians included.“

Ruban criticizes Poroshenko for his alleged lack of interest in the Ukrainian prisoners of war.

„There is not a political will to liberate our fellow countrymen,“ Ruban stressed. „We are in contact with Doneck authorities and I know that they are ready to release them. There are some six hundred and fifty Ukrainian soldiers held by the separatists. Poroshenko has obviously forgotten them and now he takes care about everything else.“

Ruban will concentrate on the liberation of all war prisoners in the winter time and in the next year.

„All of the volunteers with our centre are convinced that the war is artificial and contrived,“ Ruban continues.

He is afraid that the war will continue and that the spring campaign will be yet more aggressive than today warefare in the Doneck and Luhansk region.
„It is unnecessary to discuss the Russian support given to the separatists,“ Ruban concludes. „Moscow can yet intensify its efforts in supporting the separatists in several hours time. The Russian army is able to conquer any airport in the ex-Yugoslavia countries or in any other state within eight hours. We should be aware of it.“