Russia has not officially requested an exchange of Medvedchuk and has shown no interest in Boguslayev at all – Coordination Headquarters

At the same time, former people's deputy and president of the Motor Sich corporation Vyacheslav Boguslayev, who was arrested on suspicion of treason, is of no interest to Russia. This was stated in an interview with Ukrinform by the head of the secretariat of the Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War Bohdan Okhrimenko.

“By the way, Russia has not officially requested the exchange of Medvedchuk… In unofficial negotiations, the Russian side has never made such a request. Russia could not show interest in Medvedchuk, as this would show Putin's weakness. Therefore, they sent a request through the so-called Ministry of State Security of the quasi-republic of the DPR,” Okhrimenko explained.

“But Boguslayev does not have such a situation. If we consider their position, this indicates that Russia is using others to carry out its dirty deeds,” added the head of the Coordination Headquarters.

He also noted that the Russians are not interested in Russian soldiers convicted in Ukraine for war crimes, including Vadim Shishimarin, the first serviceman convicted of killing a civilian.

Russia is also not concerned about the nearly 300 defectors and traitors who have expressed a desire to be exchanged as part of the “I Want to Go Home” project, a representative of the Coordination Headquarters said.

Read also: Meetings of negotiators on prisoner exchange are taking place in the occupied territories, in Belarus and Russia – Coordination

Let us recall that in the fall of 2022, a prisoner exchange took place between Ukraine and Russia. Ukraine received 215 prisoners, including many officers and defenders of Azovstal in Mariupol. Russia received Viktor Medvedchuk and 55 of its soldiers.

On October 23, 2022, the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) detained former people's deputy, president of the Motor Sich corporation Vyacheslav Boguslayev and the head of the Motor Sich foreign economic department on suspicion of aiding and assisting Russia.

The arrest took place as part of a criminal case on the illegal supply of military products by the Motor Sich enterprise to Russian attack aircraft.

The suspects were remanded in custody as a preventive measure.

In October 2023, the SBU transferred Boguslayev's case to court and seized his assets worth more than UAH 12 billion. He remains in custody.

In December 2024, the High Anti-Corruption Court of Ukraine applied sanctions to Boguslayev and confiscated his property in favor of the state, including buildings and structures of the industrial complex in the Zaporizhia region and a 100% share in the authorized capital of INNOVA LLC.