The Orenburg Regional Court has begun hearing the state prosecution's appeal in the 6-million-ruble bribe case involving former senator Rauf Arashukov. The prosecution is seeking to increase the fine for the former official, who was sentenced to life imprisonment, from 120 million to 420 million rubles.
One of the results of the negotiations between Ukraine, Russia, and the United States in Abu Dhabi was an agreement on the first prisoner of war exchange in four months, based on a 157-for-157 formula. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced this yesterday, and US Special Presidential Envoy Steven Witkoff confirmed the information today.
"This result is the result of peace negotiations that were thorough and productive. While much work remains, such steps demonstrate that ongoing diplomatic engagement is bearing tangible fruit and advancing efforts to end the war in Ukraine. Further progress is expected in the coming weeks," Witkoff wrote on social media.
According to Irina Krynina, a representative of the public movement "Our Way Out," 157 people from each side will return to their homeland as part of today's exchange. In an interview with the Dozhd TV channel, she said that three-quarters of the total number of Russian military personnel exchanged were those who signed contracts while in prison or under investigation.
"This is a very high-risk category of prisoners of war. I explained to them all the risks, that they would be sent back to war, and gave them recommendations. I hope they heard me and will take advantage of this opportunity, and will do everything possible to stay home," Krynina shared.
According to her, 13% of the prisoners of war returned to Russia today are from the Chechen Republic. The organization's representative emphasized that this is a record figure in the history of prisoner exchanges between the two sides.