Events in southern Ukraine have acquired an unexpected historical resonance. According to Russian media reports, Anton Milayev — the great-grandson of former General Secretary of the CPSU Central Committee Leonid Brezhnev — has been captured by the Armed Forces of Ukraine. This was reported by RBK-Ukraine, citing data from the Telegram channel «Baza».
Fate of the Soviet leader's descendant
Anton Milayev is the adopted grandson of Galina Brezhneva, the daughter of the Soviet General Secretary. She raised him as her own. The man was born and built his career in Ukraine, but last autumn he decided to leave to fight against his country of birth. He joined the ranks of the Russian Armed Forces as a sapper.
Contact with relatives was lost back in November. Anton's mother, Irina Kuznetsova, said that it was only after several months that it became known that her son was alive. He is currently held in captivity in territories controlled by the Ukrainian Armed Forces in the Kherson region.
Context of prisoner exchange
Milayev's fate fits into the general picture of humanitarian processes which, despite active hostilities, continue between the parties to the conflict. At the end of May, the Main Directorate of Intelligence of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine confirmed preparations for a new stage of a large-scale exchange under the formula «1000 for 1000».
The department noted that priority is given to various categories of people: women, the seriously ill, the wounded, as well as those who have been in captivity since the beginning of the full-scale invasion in 2022. On June 5, the second stage of this large-scale exchange was carried out, during which 185 Ukrainian servicemen and one civilian returned home. Among those released were defenders of Mariupol and «Azovstal».
Diplomatic steps
In parallel with the issue of prisoner exchange, the parties are trying to establish interaction in the civil and legal sphere. Recently, Ukrainian Ombudsman Dmytro Lubynets, at a meeting with the new Russian Commissioner for Human Rights Yana Lantratova, agreed to begin a direct exchange of official certificates.
This decision was made despite the severance of diplomatic relations. The goal of the initiative is to accelerate the resolution of issues related to archives and the certification of pension service for citizens of both countries.