Russia wants to negotiate with Ukraine. And it's bringing in more and more people to do so

The Russian media outlet Meduza quoted its sources as saying this.

The journalists said that since March 2022, the talks between Moscow and Kiev had been reduced to an exchange of prisoners and rare informal contacts.

Contacts between the Ukrainian and Russian sides are handled by oligarch Roman Abramovich. But he has started to involve new people. For example, the former head of Moscow's culture department, Sergey Kapkov.

Abramovich has reportedly involved Kapkov in the dialogue between Kiev and Moscow because he considers him a "sane person" who is also not under sanctions and can move freely around the world.

In addition, David Davidovich, who is Abramovich's business partner, is involved in the negotiations.

Another participant in the negotiations is Alexander Voloshin, who is the Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Skolkovo School of Management.

All in all, Russia is not only plugging its own people from within. It needs these negotiations. Secretary of the RNBO Alexei Danilov stated this.

That is why they are begging today. They are taking a whole pool of negotiators. They are now doing tremendous work with certain groups to get them into negotiations. Already Brazil, and whoever else is in the mediation.

Mikhail Podolyak, advisor to the head of the Presidential Office, explains why Russia needs negotiations in the first place. He thinks that the "negotiating initiatives" are a way to divert attention from preparations for further acts of aggression.

Despite all the participants involved, the negotiations are mostly about the exchange of prisoners. A grain deal is also being discussed. But so far there is no question of a full-fledged peaceful settlement.

It is also worth recalling that the Russian Federation attempted to manipulate the topic of negotiations last December in order to buy time to prepare for a major offensive by delaying deliveries of Western arms to Ukraine.