OREANDA-NEWS Before the exchange, the Ukrainian prisoners of war stated that they would refuse to serve again. They said it was better to go to prison than to fight. This is reported by RIA Novosti.

"If I have to choose between life and prison, then I'd rather choose prison. I don't owe anyone anything. I don't think I'm going to go in a second round. I just won't go," said Ilya Kaldikov, a prisoner of war.

Former tankman of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) Mikhail Boryak also said that he would no longer pick up a machine gun.

Kirill Golovin, a prisoner of war who was wounded in combat, expressed the opinion that the prospect of being tried is better than being on the battlefield. "Those people who did not want to go to war, they were initially called up by force, as they say, and were afraid not to go because they would be put in prison, but now they have been captured, and I think they can safely just refuse and go to prison," he said.

Earlier, Vitaly Melokost, a soldier of the 110th separate mechanized brigade, said that the majority of the Armed Forces of Ukraine are people over the age of 45, and there are practically no young people left.