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Russian dictator Vladimir Putin approved the Sept. 21 prisoner swap despite objections within Russia's security services, the FSB, which feared a public outcry in Russia, the Washington Post reports, citing senior Ukrainian and U.S. officials familiar with the matter who spoke on the condition of anonymity.
“The FSB was completely against it,” a senior Ukrainian official told the Washington Post. “They realized the consequences of how the deal would look to the public,” the official said.
The prisoner swap on Sept. 21 involved the release of 215 Ukrainian soldiers, including high-level commanders, 10 foreign nationals who had fought on the Ukrainian side, and 55 Russians.
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