On January 5, Chechnya's head, Ramzan Kadyrov, offered to release 20 Ukrainian prisoners of war for lifting sanctions on his family members.

"My family has never meddled in politics. My mom and spouse didn't appear on TV, my daughters did even less so… American and European politicians have no honor and dignity. They can come up with sanctions even against small children. We have nothing in common with them. We are at war with murderers who do not let people live in peace," Kadyrov noted.

The head of the region offered to release 20 prisoners in return for lifting sanctions. He handed the list to Scott Ritter, the former US Marine and US Army intelligence officer, who was in the Chechen Federal Republic with his family for several days. "If they lift the sanctions on my mom, daughters, and horse, we will release 20 Ukrainian POWs. Introduce anything against me, but don't touch my family. If these people's lives are important to them, and they want to unite them with their families, let them swap their soldiers for sanctions," Kadyrov added.

He also showed a video of prisoners of war appealing to accept Ramzan Kadyrov's conditions. "In your speeches, you say that you are worried about Ukraine. Prove it in practice. Hear our call. Rescue us from captivity," the captive said. "If you fulfill these conditions, 20 Ukrainian soldiers will return to their native homes. Don't our lives have at least some values for you, for the sake of which you can sacrifice some sanctions lists, on which ultimately nothing depends," another added.