# OPEN LETTER: Mr. Putin, 370 prisoners don't buy back four years of war > Introduction: a letter I had to write - Author: Maxime Marquette - Publisher: MadMax (https://mad-max.co) - Section: Open letter - Published: 2026-07-03 - Canonical URL: https://mad-max.co/en/article/lettre-ouverte-lettre-ouverte-monsieur-poutine-370-prisonniers-ne-rachetent-pas-quatre-ans-de-guerre ## Introduction: a letter I had to write ### Why address the Kremlin directly Mr. **Putin**, I am writing you this open letter the day after the announcement, confirmed by **The Moscow Times**, of the exchange of **370 prisoners of war** between your country and **Ukraine**, carried out on **June 5, 2026**. One hundred and eighty-five people on each side were reunited with their families, according to **Reuters**, a figure that, on paper, looks like a gesture of goodwill. I choose the form of the open letter because I want to address you directly, without intermediaries, with the frankness this war you launched in **February 2022** demands. This piece is not a negotiation. It is a statement of fact, written by a **columnist** who refuses to mistake a one-off **humanitarian gesture** for proof of **good faith**. ### What I know, what I cannot prove I know, thanks to the **verifiable journalistic sources** I cite in this piece, that this exchange did in fact take place. I also know, thanks to **testimonies** gathered by multiple independent organizations, that Ukrainian prisoners held in **Russia** report extremely harsh **detention conditions**. What I cannot do, however, is attribute to you intentions I cannot verify with certainty. I can only judge your actions against documented facts, and that is precisely what I intend to do in this letter. ## What this exchange reveals about your **political calculus** ### A calculated move, not a confession Mr. **Putin**, this prisoner exchange is not, I know, a gesture of spontaneous compassion. It is a cold calculation, documented by numerous Western analysts: every successful exchange lets you project, at little cost, an image of rationality on the international stage, even as your army continues to pound Ukrainian **civilian infrastructure** every week. This **double game**, between one-off humanitarian gestures and the relentless pursuit of war, is lost on no one who follows this issue closely. You know that these images of family reunions temporarily soften your regime's image abroad. ### A **façade of diplomacy** that fools fewer and fewer people According to several analyses relayed by the Western press, your government uses these exchanges as a tool of international communication, seeking to show that **Russia** respects, at least partially, certain humanitarian norms, even when documented reports contradict that image on the ground. I am not fooled, Mr. **Putin**, and I doubt the majority of international observers are either. A single humanitarian gesture does not offset a **war record** measured in tens of thousands of dead. ## What your Ukrainian prisoners have endured ### Testimonies that accuse you directly Accounts gathered from Ukrainian soldiers freed in previous exchanges, relayed by the **Kyiv Independent** and other independent media, describe detention conditions marked by **malnutrition**, lack of proper **medical care**, and, in many documented cases, systematic physical **mistreatment**. These testimonies, Mr. **Putin**, do not come from a single isolated source that could be dismissed as Ukrainian **propaganda**. They **converge**, year after year, exchange after exchange, painting a coherent picture of a prison system that treats prisoners of war with a harshness that violates, according to several human rights organizations, the international conventions your country nonetheless signed. ### Your government's silence on these accusations Your government has, to my knowledge, never substantively responded to these documented accusations, preferring silence or outright denial. That silence, in itself, constitutes a form of answer: that of a regime that does not wish to open its **detention centers** to independent, transparent **international scrutiny**. A country with nothing to hide generally has no difficulty letting international observers verify the detention conditions of its prisoners of war. The systematic refusal of such access speaks for itself. ## What the West should demand of you ### Full access for international observers Mr. **Putin**, if your government truly wishes to demonstrate its humanitarian good faith, it should accept, unconditionally, full and regular access for the **International Committee of the Red Cross** to all detention centers holding Ukrainian prisoners, military and civilian alike. This demand is not excessive: it corresponds exactly to the obligations **Russia** accepted by signing the **Geneva Conventions**. The persistent refusal of such access, year after year, is itself an implicit admission of what those centers might reveal. ### The **release** of all civilians detained without legitimate grounds Beyond service members, the **West** should demand, with a firmness too often lacking so far, the immediate release of all **Ukrainian civilians** detained without legitimate grounds in occupied territories or in **Russia** itself, a category of victims these highly publicized exchanges tend to obscure. These civilians, often arrested on mere suspicion of pro-Ukrainian sympathies, deserve diplomatic attention at least equal to that given to military prisoners, or their fate will keep languishing in the shadow of **negotiations**. ## What Kyiv does better, without complacency ### A relative **transparency** that deserves recognition I will not pretend, Mr. **Putin**, that **Ukraine** is beyond reproach in its treatment of its own Russian prisoners. But it must be said that **Kyiv** accepts, far more regularly than your government, the presence of independent international observers in its detention centers. This difference in transparency, documented by several international humanitarian organizations, is not a minor detail: it reflects a fundamental difference in approach between a country defending itself and a country that chose to attack. ### The limits Kyiv must also acknowledge That said, in the interest of rigor, I must note that some isolated reports also point to imperfect conditions in certain Ukrainian detention centers, a point **Volodymyr Zelensky's** government should continue to correct with the same rigor it demands of the Russian side. Moral consistency requires applying the same standards to both sides, even though the scale and severity of documented violations remain, based on available evidence, vastly disproportionate on the Russian side. ## What this letter cannot change ### The limits of a text in the face of a war I know, Mr. **Putin**, that this letter will probably change nothing about your strategic calculations. You will likely never read it, and if you did, it would carry no more weight than one more Western statement in your long list of grievances against the collective **West**. But I write it anyway, because silence in the face of documented violations of prisoners' rights would be, in my view, a form of **complicity by omission** I refuse to accept as a columnist. ### What I will keep documenting I will continue, exchange after exchange, to document the fate of Ukrainian prisoners, to cross-reference available testimonies, and to refuse any leniency toward a regime that chose **war of aggression** as a **political instrument** in **2022** and has pursued it relentlessly ever since. This **journalistic vigilance**, however modest on the scale of the conflict, remains one of the few weapons a columnist has to refuse forgetting and indifference in the face of the documented suffering of thousands of prisoners. ## What Ukraine's allies must keep up ### Sanctions pressure, a lever that must endure Mr. **Putin**, as long as Ukrainian prisoners remain held in conditions documented as inhumane, **Western sanctions** against your government and your inner circle must stay in place, or even be strengthened. Giving in to the temptation of premature easing would send a **disastrous signal**: that impunity pays. Ukraine's Western allies, from the **United States** to the **European Union**, must continue to explicitly tie any discussion of sanctions relief to verifiable progress on the humanitarian file of prisoners, not solely to territorial or military issues. ### **Military support**, a condition for any credible negotiation I'll say it plainly: only a militarily strong **Ukraine**, sustainably backed by its Western allies, will be able to **negotiate** these humanitarian files from a **position of strength** rather than weakness. Arms support, including the **Western fighter jets** recently promised to **Kyiv**, remains inseparable from any future progress on the prisoner file. **Weakening** that military support in the name of supposed appeasement would, in practice, amount to weakening Ukraine's ability to secure new, favorable exchanges in the future. ## The precedent of the **Minsk agreements**, a lesson you ignore ### Commitments never kept Mr. **Putin**, your government has, in the past, already signed international agreements that **Russia** never fully honored, starting with the **Minsk agreements** meant to settle the conflict in the **Donbas** back in **2015**. This **history** of broken commitments weighs heavily on the credibility of any gesture of goodwill your government might display today. Western analysts who have followed this file for years regularly point out that **Russia** used those past negotiations not to resolve the conflict, but to buy military and political time, a strategy several observers fear could repeat itself with the current prisoner exchanges. ### Why Western distrust remains justified This historic distrust, documented by numerous Western **think tanks**, explains why **Kyiv's** allied governments continue to demand concrete, verifiable **guarantees** before any easing of diplomatic and economic **pressure** on your government. A single humanitarian gesture, however welcome, is not enough to erase a track record of broken promises that goes back well before the **2022 invasion** itself. ## The murky role of Russian state propaganda ### A carefully orchestrated production Russian state media, under your government's tight control, systematically present these prisoner exchanges as proof of **Russia's** humanity and restraint in the face of a Ukrainian enemy portrayed as intransigent. This staging, documented by several independent observers of Russian media, is aimed above all at a domestic audience that must be kept mobilized behind the war effort. This media **instrumentalization**, Mr. **Putin**, no longer fools most Western observers, but it continues to effectively shape **Russian public opinion**, largely denied access to independent sources of information since the invasion began. ### The absence of **dissenting voices** in Russia The systematic **repression** of dissenting voices in **Russia**, whether independent journalists or human rights organizations, prevents any substantial internal criticism of your handling of the prisoner-of-war file. This absence of internal checks, documented by numerous international **press freedom organizations**, reinforces my conviction that only external international pressure can still influence, even marginally, the treatment of Ukrainian prisoners held in **Russia**. ## What **Ukrainian families** truly expect ### Beyond the numbers, specific faces Behind every exchange statistic, Mr. **Putin**, there are specific Ukrainian families who have been waiting, sometimes for years, for news of a son, husband, or brother missing or detained. These families are not asking for speeches: they are asking for **complete lists**, access to detention centers, and **precise release dates**. This wait, documented through numerous testimonies gathered by the Ukrainian and international press, constitutes one of the most painful and least visible dimensions of this war, far from the grand diplomatic statements. ### A demand for clarity you refuse Your government, Mr. **Putin**, continues to refuse full transparency on the exact number of Ukrainian prisoners held, military and civilian alike, an **opacity** that needlessly prolongs the suffering of thousands of families who do not even know whether their loved one is alive. This demand for clarity, though minimal under **international humanitarian law**, remains one of the most consistent and legitimate demands made by **Kyiv** since negotiations on prisoners began. ## Comparison with other contemporary conflicts ### A mechanism that exists elsewhere, with more transparency Other contemporary conflicts have seen prisoner exchange mechanisms put in place with a level of transparency and **international oversight** far greater than what is observed between **Kyiv** and **Moscow**. This comparison, documented by several organizations specializing in international humanitarian law, highlights the considerable **room for improvement** that remains on this specific file. Your government, Mr. **Putin**, could draw on these precedents to strengthen the credibility of its own humanitarian gestures, provided it accepts an international oversight that it has, so far, systematically limited. ### Why this refusal of transparency is telling This persistent refusal of enhanced international oversight, despite existing precedents elsewhere in the world, reinforces the legitimate suspicion that your government has specific reasons for wanting to limit independent observers' access to its detention centers. A regime confident in the legitimacy of its practices generally has no reason to fear a thorough international review of its prisoner-of-war detention centers. ## This war's impact on international humanitarian law ### A **dangerous precedent** for the world order This war, and the way your government handles the prisoner file, sends a dangerous signal to the entire **international community**: that a country can massively violate international humanitarian law without any real **judicial consequence**, so long as it has enough military and diplomatic **power** to withstand pressure. This precedent, if not firmly challenged by the **West** and the international community as a whole, could inspire other authoritarian regimes to adopt similar practices in future conflicts, durably weakening the **architecture of international law** built since **1945**. ### Why Ukraine is also fighting for this principle Beyond defending its own territory, **Kyiv** is also fighting, whether it states it explicitly or not, to preserve an **international order** in which humanitarian law retains real, binding value, rather than becoming a mere rhetorical façade invoked according to the interests of the moment. This dimension of the war, less visible than the fighting on the **front**, deserves to be recalled with the same insistence as the territorial stakes that usually dominate **media coverage** of this conflict. ## What Western diplomacy still has to accomplish ### **Coordination** that is too often fragmented Despite constant declarations of support for **Ukraine**, Western diplomacy remains, on the specific issue of prisoners of war, too often fragmented among various capitals that do not systematically adopt a **common, coordinated position** toward your government, Mr. **Putin**. This fragmentation, documented by several analysts of transatlantic relations, weakens the collective **leverage** the **West** could exert if it spoke with one voice on this specific humanitarian file. ### A call for a common, firm position I am arguing, in this letter, for Western governments, from the **United States** to the **European Union** to the **United Kingdom**, to adopt a common, public position demanding full access for the **International Committee of the Red Cross** to all Ukrainian prisoners held in **Russia**. This strengthened coordination would send a **clear signal** to your government: the humanitarian file on prisoners will not be pushed to the **back burner** of negotiations, whatever the geopolitical priorities of the moment. ## What will be at stake in the coming months ### New exchanges to watch closely Mr. **Putin**, further prisoner exchanges will probably follow in the coming **months**, according to analysts tracking this file. Each one will be scrutinized with the same rigor by the international community and by Ukrainian families still waiting for news of their loved ones. The true measure of your good faith will not be found in the one-off announcement of an exchange, but in the regularity, transparency, and scale of these gestures over time, as well as in your willingness, or lack thereof, to finally open your detention centers to independent international oversight. ### A **responsibility** that is entirely yours This war, Mr. **Putin**, remains your choice and your responsibility. Every detained prisoner, every separated family, every documented suffering traces back to the decision to invade **Ukraine** in **February 2022**, a decision that continues to produce its **human consequences** four years later. No prisoner exchange, however well-orchestrated for communication purposes, can erase this **fundamental responsibility** that weighs on your government before history and before international law. ## Conclusion: this letter remains open, like this war ### A gesture that is not enough Mr. **Putin**, 370 prisoners exchanged, 185 on each side according to **Reuters** and **The Moscow Times**, represent real and sincere relief for the families involved. But that number does nothing to redeem four years of war, illegal annexations, and bombardments that continue to strike Ukrainian civilians every week. This letter remains open, literally and figuratively, because the humanitarian file of this war also remains, tragically, open, with no guarantee of a quick or complete resolution. ### What history will remember History will judge your government not on the one-off prisoner exchanges you agree to negotiate, but on the **overall record** of this war you chose to launch. No isolated humanitarian gesture, however welcome for the families involved, can erase that record before history. I will continue, as a columnist, to document every stage of this file, with the same rigor and the same absence of leniency toward your regime. **By Maxime Marquette, columnist** ## Columnist's transparency note ### Editorial stance I am not a journalist but a **columnist and analyst**. My expertise lies in observing and analysing the geopolitical, economic and strategic dynamics that shape our world. My work is to take political strategies apart, to understand global economic movements, to put the decisions of international actors in context and to offer analytical perspectives on the changes that are redefining our societies. I do not claim the cold objectivity of traditional journalism, which stops at reporting facts. **I claim analytical clarity**, rigorous interpretation and a deep understanding of the complex issues that concern us all. My role is to give meaning to the facts, to place them in their historical and strategic context, and to offer a critical reading of events. ### Method and sources This text keeps the basic distinction between **verified facts and interpretive analysis**. The rule never changes: a factual claim is published only when a verifiable source supports it, and the sources this article actually used are listed under **Sources**, never here. **Primary source families** used by the publication, when the story has them: official statements from governments and international institutions, public statements by political leaders, reports from intergovernmental organisations, dispatches from recognised international news agencies. **Secondary source families**: specialised publications, internationally recognised news media, analyses from established research institutions, reports from industry organisations. When an article cites statistical, economic or geopolitical data, it comes from the institutions that produce it (intergovernmental organisations, central banks, national statistics offices), and the exact institution is named under **Sources**. ### Nature of the analysis The analyses, interpretations and perspectives in the analytical sections of this article are a **critical, contextual synthesis** based on the information available, the trends observed and the expert comments cited in the sources consulted. My role is to interpret these facts, to set them in the context of today's geopolitical and economic dynamics, and to give them a coherent meaning within the larger story of the changes shaping our time. These analyses reflect expertise built through continuous observation of international affairs and an understanding of the strategic mechanisms that drive global actors. This article describes a documented state of affairs on its publication date, not a prediction: later developments may shift its outlook. No update is promised in advance; when an article is corrected or completed, the change is dated in the text. ## Sources ### Primary sources - [The Moscow Times — Russia and Ukraine exchange 370 POWs — June 5, 2026](https://www.themoscowtimes.com/2026/06/05/russia-and-ukraine-exchange-370-pows-a92941) - [Reuters — Ukraine, Russia exchange 185 prisoners of war each in swap — June 5, 2026](https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/ukraine-russia-exchange-185-prisoners-war-each-swap-2026-06-05/) ### Secondary sources - [The Kyiv Independent — coverage of prisoner exchanges and captivity testimonies — June 2026](https://kyivindependent.com/) - [Ukrinform — Ukraine's national news agency — June 2026](https://www.ukrinform.net/) - [The Guardian International — coverage of the war in Ukraine — June 2026](https://www.theguardian.com/international) - [Foreign Policy — analyses of Russian-Ukrainian humanitarian diplomacy — 2026](https://foreignpolicy.com/) --- Source: Maxime Marquette, MadMax. When citing, name the author and link https://mad-max.co/en/article/lettre-ouverte-lettre-ouverte-monsieur-poutine-370-prisonniers-ne-rachetent-pas-quatre-ans-de-guerre