Kyiv: On Sunday, Kyiv called on Moscow to deliver a list of Ukrainian prisoners of war (POWs) prepared for exchange, countering Russia’s claim that Ukraine has been obstructing the swap process. The request follows recent statements from Russian officials accusing Ukraine of impeding efforts to facilitate POW returns.
In a response posted on Telegram, Ukrainian human rights commissioner Dmytro Lubinets asserted, “We are always ready to exchange prisoners of war!” Reaffirming Kyiv’s commitment to resuming exchanges, Lubinets stated that Ukraine remains open to accepting its citizens and accused Russia of dragging its feet on the matter.
The exchange of words follows remarks from Russia’s Foreign Ministry spokeswoman, Maria Zakharova, who on Saturday accused Ukraine of “sabotaging” the process by refusing to reclaim some of its detained citizens. According to Zakharova, Russia had offered to release 935 Ukrainian POWs, but Ukraine reportedly accepted only 279.
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Adding to the discussion, Russian Human Rights Commissioner Tatyana Moskalkova expressed her concern over Ukraine’s approach, stating that the issue had been “politicized”. She encouraged both sides to engage in “constructive dialogue” to expedite the exchange process. “We consider it necessary to return to a constructive dialogue and speed up the exchange of prisoners,” Moskalkova shared on Telegram.
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The POW exchanges between Ukraine and Russia have been ongoing since the Russian invasion began in 2022, with the most recent exchange taking place in mid-October, where each side successfully returned 95 prisoners.
