Kursk operation prompted Russia's first POW exchange initiative, ombudsman says
Amid Ukraine's incursion into Russia’s Kursk Oblast, Moscow has, for the first time, initiated communication with Ukraine on prisoner-of-war (POW) exchanges, Ukrainian Ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets said in an interview with Ukrainska Pravda on Dec. 18.
“This year, for the first time, the Russian side personally took the initiative to communicate,” Lubinets said.
“It was at the start of the Ukrainian Armed Forces’ military operation in Kursk Oblast. I believe the Kursk operation provided strong arguments in favor of Ukraine.”
Since the beginning of Moscow's full-scale invasion in 2022, Ukraine and Russia have carried out nearly 60 prisoner exchanges. Around 3,600 Ukrainians have been freed, while tens of thousands — both military personnel and civilians — are estimated to remain in captivity.
During the surprise incursion into Kursk Oblast, Ukraine captured hundreds of Russian conscript soldiers stationed in the region. Some of them were exchanged during the 58th swap carried out on Oct. 18.
Lubinets said that Russia continues to engage in hybrid warfare against Ukraine, including in the context of prisoner exchanges, undermining Ukrainian authorities and the negotiation process.
In January, a Russian Il-76 plane reportedly carrying 65 Ukrainian POWs crashed in Russia's Belgorod Oblast. Russia claimed all the POWs died in the crash.
Ukraine, however, has not confirmed this and called for an international investigation — a proposal Moscow rejected.
The Olenivka prison, located in Russian-occupied Donetsk Oblast, housed Ukrainian POWs and civilians, many captured after the fall of Mariupol in May 2022.
In June 2022, the prison was struck by an explosion that killed at least 54 POWs and injured over 150.
According to Ukrainian authorities, Russia deliberately targeted the prison, specifically the part of the building where Ukrainian Azov Regiment members had been moved to.
Kyiv has claimed that Russia used artillery or a thermobaric munition in the attack.
The Kyiv Independent news desk
