On April 28, Poland successfully facilitated a prisoner exchange involving Belarus and Russia, resulting in the return of several individuals to Polish territory. Among those repatriated was Andrzej Poczobut, a journalist and activist associated with the Polish community in Belarus.
In exchange, Poland transferred Alexander Butyagin, an archaeologist whose extradition had been requested by Ukraine, to Russia. This exchange was part of a broader diplomatic effort involving multiple parties.
Another individual returned to Poland was Grzegorz Hawel, a priest from Kraków, who had been detained in September 2025 during joint military exercises conducted by Russia and Belarus. Authorities in Minsk accused Hawel of espionage, alleging that he had attempted to gather intelligence from a Belarusian citizen regarding the military maneuvers.
Additionally, a Belarusian national who had cooperated with Polish intelligence was also part of this exchange. Prime Minister Donald Tusk did not disclose the name of this individual at their request.
Prime Minister Tusk expressed satisfaction with the outcome of the exchange, attributing its success to the effective actions of Polish intelligence agencies. He stated, “I am pleased that this saga has reached such a conclusion, and I want to emphasize that without very effective actions, particularly from our services, which led to the arrests and subsequently to the successful exchange of agents and spies, this achievement would have been impossible.”
In a related development, Moldova also completed a prisoner exchange with Russia, returning two of its citizens who were employees of the Information and Security Service. Moldova released former deputy head Alexandra Belan and a Russian citizen who had acted against Moldovan interests.
John Cole, the U.S. Special Representative for Belarus, who was involved in facilitating the exchange, expressed hope that Belarus would release a larger number of political prisoners in the coming month, which could lead to a potential easing of sanctions from Washington.
Poland has conducted a successful prisoner exchange with Belarus and Russia, leading to the return of several individuals, including journalist Andrzej Poczobut. Prime Minister Donald Tusk emphasized the role of Polish intelligence in facilitating this exchange.
Source: Polsat News