Russia dragging out 1,000-for-1,000 prisoner swap, Ukraine's ombudsman says

Prisoner exchange delayed because of Russia’s position

According to Lubinets, Ukraine has repeatedly faced situations in which agreements reached with Russia were not honored by the Russian side.

He noted that even after terms are agreed upon, there is no guarantee they will be respected.

"Even if you reach an agreement with the Russian side, you can never be 100% certain that Russia will comply with it. In reality, the work has not stopped. Working processes and negotiation processes are taking place every day," Lubinets said.

The ombudsman stressed that negotiations continue daily, but there has so far been no real progress on the exchange.

Ukraine submits exchange lists

Ukraine’s Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War said the Ukrainian side has already handed over the lists for the 1,000-for-1,000 exchange to Russia. The information was also confirmed by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

Kyiv has therefore completed its part of the preparations.

Ukrainian officials say the process is being deliberately dragged out by Russia, while simultaneously blaming Ukraine.

International guarantees and the US position

Earlier, President Zelenskyy said the prisoner exchange is being prepared with the involvement of international partners and should be guaranteed by the United States.

According to him, US President Donald Trump confirmed the relevant agreements, which should strengthen oversight of their implementation.

Ukraine’s Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War reported that more than 10,000 Russian servicemen have been captured since the start of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The headquarters added that the number of foreign mercenaries among them is also increasing.