Day 295: Dozens, Including US Citizen, Exchanged in Russia-Ukraine Prison Swap

Facts

• Dozens of people, including a US citizen, were exchanged in the latest prison swap between Russia and Ukraine earlier in the week, it was revealed late on Wednesday.
• Andriy Yermak, the head of Ukraine's presidential office, said the exchange included 64 Ukrainian soldiers and a US national identified as Suedi Murekezi — a Rwanda native and US Air Force veteran who went to Ukraine in 2018. The bodies of four Ukrainians were also repatriated, Yermak said.
• Daria Morozova, a pro-Russia official from the Donetsk People's Republic (DPR), said 135 of its fighters were freed from Ukrainian captivity, stating that 104 had returned home while the other 31 were receiving medical treatment in the DPR and other regions of Russia.
• Meanwhile, citing an intelligence official, Ukrainian media revealed that an unnamed priest from the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate was also exchanged. In recent weeks, the Security Service of Ukraine (SSU) have carried out a number of raids and arrests in Moscow-linked churches in the country, accusing them of collaborating with Russian forces during the invasion.
• Meanwhile, EU diplomats have told Reuters that they've so far failed to reach consensus on a potential ninth package of sanctions against Russia, with disagreement stemming from whether the EU should make it easier for Russian fertilizer exports to pass through European ports. Russia has repeatedly said that the easing of sanctions on Russian fertilizer exports is required for its continued participation in the Black Sea grain deal, as had been originally agreed.
• On the ground, with no let up in fighting despite the winter conditions, Ukrainian officials said nine civilians were killed and 21 were injured in Russian attacks over the past day. They reported that two civilians were killed and four were injured in Donetsk and two were killed and one was injured in Zaporizhzhia, while five people were killed and 13 were injured in Kherson. Two people were reportedly injured in Dnipropetrovsk and one civilian injured in Kharkiv.
• Meanwhile, DPR officials said five civilians were killed and 14 were injured in Ukrainian attacks on Donetsk over the same time period. Ukraine also launched another drone attack in Russian territory late on Wednesday, striking an airbase in the border region of Kursk.

Sources: Al Jazeera, Tass, Pravda, MSN, Ukrinform, and Dan News.

Narratives

• Pro-establishment narrative, as provided by PBS NewsHour. This invasion is an egregious violation of international law. Putin's ultimate aim is to restore the Soviet empire, even if it takes massive bloodshed and false pretexts such as calling the 2014 Ukrainian revolution after an election a "coup". This unprovoked attack is the latest chapter in Putin's Orwellian attempt to rewrite history.
• Pro-Russia narrative, as provided by National Security Archive. NATO and the US have ignored Russia's security concerns by breaking its promise not to expand eastward in return for German reunification. These concerns are legitimate and taking them seriously would have avoided the Ukraine tragedy.

Predictions