Russian forces are allegedly organizing a black market in prisoners of war, according to the Times. Chechen mercenaries would buy Ukrainian prisoners from the Russian army and then exchange them for their own.
The number of Chechen soldiers involved in the conflict has been estimated at around 10,000 by Ukrainian authorities. The RBC-Ukraine news channel lists a total of 3,135 repatriated Ukrainian prisoners as of March 6, without being able to specify the proportion of those who were exchanged with Chechens.