8/15: Russian POWs and treaties

Kyiv Post: Massive Haul of Russian POWs Gives Ukraine New Leverage to Bring Home Its Own

Stefan Korshak highlight a key advantage of the Kursk raid: caputered POWs to trade for kidnapped Ukrainians.

Stefan also points out here that this the Kursk invasion is not the first time Russia was invaded since WW2. China invaded the Damansky Islands at the border of China and USSR in 1979 inflicting hundreds of casualties. The islands were formally ceded to China in 1991.

The WP article claims that negotiations between Russia and Ukraine in Doha were disrupted due to the successful Kursk incursion, ie: the Russians walked out.

As always, peace negotiations with Russia are a dangerous game. No country has a longer track record of breaking peace treaties than Russia.

Back in 2015, after Russia invaded Crimea and began its incursion into Donbas, the Minsk agreement was signed with England and France overseeing the process.. Russian broke the treaty shortly after. Same for Minsk 2.

Same for treaty with Chechnya in the 90s. With Georgia in 2000’s. Same for Budapest Memorandum with Ukraine. I could add a dozen more, but I think the trend is clear.