Ombudsman denies Russian claim that Kyiv is delaying prisoner exchanges
Kyiv is ready to bring back all Ukrainians from Russian captivity, Ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets said on Dec. 2, denying the claims of his Russian counterpart Tatyana Moskalkova.
Lubinets's response came after Moskalkova published alleged lists of 600 Ukrainian prisoners of war (POWs) held in Russia, whom Kyiv allegedly "did not agree to take back."
"Ukraine is not delaying and did not delay the exchanges, but on the contrary, declared its readiness to repatriate seriously injured and seriously ill prisoners by creating a mixed medical commission," the Ukrainian ombudsman said.
"And the party that is not really interested in returning and implementing the exchanges is still ignoring the creation of such a commission."
Ukraine's Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War echoed Lubinets' remarks.
Dmytro Usov, the secretary of the organization, said that Russian lists include seven Ukrainian soldiers who have already been exchanged, 14 civilians, and pointed out mistakes in the names and dates of birth of captured ones.
According to Usov, Russia offered Ukraine to swap only those Russian soldiers captured in embattled Kursk Oblast.
"The Russian authorities are not interested in captured Russians from other regions," he added.
"This Russians' game is only for the public, and it is especially cynical. They are manipulating the fate of people and the vulnerable situation of their relatives."
Since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, the two sides have frequently exchanged prisoners. The most recent swap occurred in mid-October, with each side bringing back 95 prisoners.
According to Lubinets, 3,767 Ukrainian prisoners of war have returned home since the start of the all-out war. Kyiv aims to conduct an all-for-all prisoner exchange.
Olena Goncharova
