Loading video...

Video Failed to Load

Go Home

🇵🇱 JUST IN: Poland has released Russian archaeologist Alexander Butyagin The same man who carried out illegal excavations in occupied Crimea while freely traveling across Europe. Several months ago, he was detained in Warsaw at Ukraine’s request, and in March a court approved his extradition to Kyiv. But he...

143,754 views • 3 months ago •via X (Twitter)

0 Comments

No comments available

Comments from the original post will appear here

Related Videos

Yesterday, a Polish-American-Russian-Moldovan-Belarusian prisoner exchange took place - an analysis by Ukrainian expert Vadym Denysenko. "In this exchange, the US and Russia have diametrically opposed goals. But Moscow appears to have made concessions to Washington, guided by the main principle of communicating with Trump: don't quarrel and stall for time. 1. Formally, this is a 5-for-5 exchange involving seven countries. But when it comes to the key figures, there is one "main" figure for the Poles and two for Moscow. 2. The exchange of the Polish-Belarusian activist Poczobut for the Russian archaeologist Butyagin, who was conducting excavations in Crimea, and for the high-ranking Moldovan security official Bălan, who was spying for Russia, is a complex combination that was pulled off primarily thanks to the US efforts. The Poles are already thanking the Americans. But this exchange would have been impossible without the Russians, who in this particular case have goals directly opposed to those of the Americans. 3. The US goal, aside from a humanitarian one, appears to be a continuation of its idea to enter the Belarusian potash market (which Moscow categorically opposes). Belarus can export fertilizers only through four countries: Lithuania, Latvia, Ukraine, and Poland. It appears the US is beginning a game to unblock the Polish border, and in the future, possibly the Lithuanian border as well. I emphasize, they are beginning a game. Because neither Washington, nor Warsaw, nor Vilnius has much trust in Lukashenko. And before attempting to play a more serious game, they are trying a small victories tactic. 4. Moscow fully understands the US strategy and therefore agreed to this game, securing two symbolic victories in return: Bălan and Butyagin. The Poles also got what they wanted: Poczobut was personally met by Tusk. At the same time, the Russians are making sure that the potash negotiations do not go beyond the exchange of political prisoners and do not shift to the economic dimension without their knowledge. 5. As for Lukashenko, he simply could not refuse this exchange under pressure from Moscow and Washington. However, all of Lukashenko's previous actions show that he fears a rapprochement with Trump and believes he needs to stall as much as possible and make steps toward rapprochement with Washington more complicated (flirtation with North Korea is a vivid example of this). 6. Simply put, Lukashenko fears Putin more than Trump, and so he will try to stall for as long as possible to keep Americans out of his potash market. He will agree to this only when it becomes part of Russia's game as well. And this could happen when (or rather, if) Russia and Washington expand the scope of negotiations to include Belarus as well. 7. Many people here have started saying that this exchange is virtually a defeat for Ukraine. That is definitely not the case. Ukraine has neither won nor lost anything here. We are just observers. Should we already be getting worked up over this exchange and the game the US is playing in general? For now, definitely not. We are still a long way from the Polish border being reopened. But the game has already begun. And we need to clearly define for ourselves where our place is in this future game, especially given that the Belarusian factor could come into play in the Ukraine-Russia-US negotiations."

Anton Gerashchenko

17,435 views • 3 months ago