The ongoing surrender of the Azovstal garrison is of key importance for the further development of military operations in Eastern Ukraine. The Russian side stated that members of the nationalist formations, the units of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and the National Guard surrendered unconditionally.

In turn, the Ukrainian side continues an active information campaign, promoting the narrative that a certain special operation is carried out under the auspices of the Main Directorate of Intelligence of Ukraine on the “extraction” of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, including the Azov regiment militants, to the territory controlled by Kiev. It is stated that this will be done through the procedure of exchange of prisoners of war.

The actual events, as well as the available footage from the spot demonstrate that the process of withdrawal of the AFU servicemen from the territory of Azovstal does not resemble evacuation, but rather a surrender.

The prisoners who needed urgent treatment were sent in the hospital of Novoazovsk, the others were sent to the camp in the village of Elenovka in the Donetsk People’s Republic.

• Today, the main questions are whether there will be a prisoner exchange at all? Will the Azov regiment fighters who committed crimes against civilians and prisoners of war be exchanged? Will there be a public trial of the militants of the Azov regiment? Where will the trial take place on the territory of the Russian Federation or the DPR?

If the Russian side agrees to Kiev’s conditions and transfers the Azov regiment fighters to Ukraine without a trial and any verdict, it will mean a critical blow to the entire information base of the special military operation that was claimed by the Kremlin.

That’s not going to happen.

Measures are already being taken to filter prisoners of war and identify among them militants of the Azov regiment and other persons involved in the commission of war crimes.

The filtration procedure will take up to a week. After that, the identified persons will be charged according to the established episodes of their criminal activity. The initial procedural actions are likely to take place on the territory of the DPR. However, the trial itself and further detention will take place on the territory of the Russian Federation.

The trial will be lengthy. The Russian side has repeatedly stated that it already has numerous proofs of the atrocities of the Ukrainian nationalists of the Azov regiment. There is a possibility that after the verdict, some Azov militants may be exchanged for Russian prisoners of war. At the same time, those convicted of murder and torture will not be subject to exchange. In turn, the servicemen of the National Guard, the Border Guard Service and regular units of the AFU, who would not be accused of war crimes, are considered ordinary prisoners of war. Accordingly, their exchange is possible.

• In the near future, prisoners of war from Azovstal will be moved to the territory of the Russian Federation. Prisons on the territory of the DPR and LPR are already overflowing with Ukrainian prisoners of war.

Some sources report that on May 20, their number exceeds 3,000.

Source: SOUTHFRONT