Russia Prosecutes Aidar Battalion Soldiers for "Terrorism", Complicating Exchanges
Russia is holding soldiers of Ukraine's Aidar battalion and accusing them of "terrorism". The criminal prosecution makes prisoner exchanges harder but does not rule out their return.
Russia continues to hold soldiers of Ukraine's Aidar battalion in captivity and accuses them of "terrorism". This is reported in a column published by the Ukrainian outlet Ukrainska Pravda on 31 October 2026. The subject is the return home of servicemen captured during the Russia–Ukraine war.
The column's author says criminal cases have been opened against the captive Aidar fighters. As a result, some of them have been unable to return to Ukraine for years. The prosecution makes a prisoner exchange more complicated.
At the same time, the criminal charges do not close off the possibility of coming home entirely. According to the column, an exchange remains possible, although the process is harder than in cases where no such accusations exist.
The source summary gives no further details, such as the number of people held or specific court proceedings.
