Publicity stunt: Ukraine responds to Russian lists of Ukrainian prisoners
Photo: Dmytro Usov, Secretary of the Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War (t.me/Koord_shtab)
Russia has been making loud statements about the number of prisoners they wish to exchange. But Ukraine has not yet received any proposals through official channels, the Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War reports, citing secretary Dmytro Usov.
"This game by the Russians is just for show, and it is particularly cynical. They are manipulating the fates of people and the vulnerable position of their relatives," Usov said.
Russian lists of prisoners
Additionally, Russian ombudsman Tatyana Moskalkova recently published a list of 630 Ukrainian prisoners of war whom Ukraine allegedly "does not want" to take back.
"The Ukrainian side continues to delay the Russia-Ukraine prisoner exchange, while families of soldiers on both sides continue to wait for the return of their loved ones... Earlier, I reported that Ukraine refuses to take back Ukrainian soldiers who have been held in Russia for over a year," the Russian ombudsman stated.
Numerous errors and already exchanged soldiers
Commenting on Moskalkova's list, Usov noted that seven prisoners had already been exchanged. The list also contains numerous errors regarding names and dates of birth. Furthermore, there are civilians listed, which is a violation of international humanitarian law.
"However, these lists and loud statements are designed only to destabilize the situation. This is an attempt to discredit Ukrainian state authorities. In reality, the only proposals we receive from the Russian side are regarding prisoners taken in the Kursk direction. Russian prisoners from other regions are not of interest to the so-called Russian authorities," Ukraine's Secretary of the Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War said.
Usov also pointed out that the lists do not include severely wounded individuals or women, who should be prioritized for return under international humanitarian law.
Prisoner exchanges
Prisoner exchanges between Russia and Ukraine have been taking place since the start of the full-scale invasion. These processes, coordinated through intermediaries, allow both military and civilian prisoners to return home, often after lengthy negotiations.
In November, with Belarus's support, Ukrainian ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets and Russian human rights commissioner Tatyana Moskalkova met in Belarus. Representatives of the International Committee of the Red Cross also attended the event.
As Lubinets noted, during the negotiations, the parties discussed prisoner exchanges and shared with each other updated lists of individuals currently in captivity.
