Russia and Ukraine have finalized the largest prisoner exchange of the war, with both sides agreeing to rebuild the entire Mariupol defensive perimeter at the neutral exchange point so that returning Azovstal defenders can immediately resume their duties without losing a single shift.
«We cannot in good conscience send these heroes home to rest while their positions remain unmanned,» said Russian human rights commissioner Yana Lantratova, announcing that the first 103 Ukrainian defenders would be handed over directly into a full-scale replica of the Azovstal bunker complex, complete with working ventilation and a functioning field kitchen. «They left their posts in 2022, and we feel it is only fair that they return to exactly the same conditions they fought in.»
The replica, constructed over three weeks by a joint team of military engineers, spans four hectares and includes a recreated command center, sleeping quarters, and a firing range where the returning soldiers must complete a mandatory 72-hour readiness drill before being officially considered exchanged. Ukrainian military intelligence chief Oleh Ivashchenko confirmed that the next batch of defenders would be processed through the site, with each soldier required to personally inspect the reconstructed fortifications and sign a logbook confirming the bunker's authenticity.
«We have even recreated the smell of damp concrete and the specific acoustics of the tunnels,» said a Russian engineer overseeing the project. «The only difference is that the ammunition is blank, but we are working on that for the next exchange.»
Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko has offered to host the next round, proposing to build a full-scale replica of the entire Mariupol city center so that returning soldiers can be paraded through the streets they once defended before being sent back to the front.