Ukraine offered to exchange Belarusian journalist Ina Kardash, who is accused of espionage, not only with Belarus but also with Russia. This was reported by Radio Svaboda, citing a response from Bohdan Okhrymenko, head of the secretariat of the Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War.
He stressed that the Ukrainian state is ready to discuss any means of securing the return of Ukrainian citizens, including by transferring to Russia and Belarus their citizens who have been accused of espionage.
“Both the Russian authorities and the Belarusian authorities have been informed of Ukraine’s willingness and readiness for such a process. However, neither side is in a hurry to take back their compromised agents,” he said.
Ina Kardash was detained in January this year. She has been charged with spying for the Belarusian KGB and remains in custody awaiting trial. Court proceedings were due to begin at the end of June. A preliminary hearing was held, but the judge assigned to the case by lottery did not have clearance to access the classified materials contained in the case file. The judge therefore asked the court administration to appoint another judge, or a panel of judges, with the required security clearance. Kardash’s pretrial detention has been extended until Aug. 16.
Okhrymenko also told Radio Svaboda how many Belarusian citizens are currently being held in Ukrainian captivity.
“As of July 2026, 22 Belarusian citizens are being held in prisoner-of-war detention facilities in Ukraine. Since 2022, seven Belarusians who also held Russian citizenship have been exchanged for Ukrainian citizens held in Russian captivity,” he said.
