Dmitry Lubinets, the Ukrainian Verkhovna Rada’s Commissioner for Human Rights, has leveled serious accusations against Russia, alleging their refusal to participate in further prisoner of war exchanges. This claim emerges amidst a notable silence on the matter, with no developments reported in the past three months.
Since the escalation of the conflict, Ukraine and Russia have conducted several prisoner swaps, beginning in the early stages. However, 2023 has seen a marked decline in these exchanges, with the most recent occurring in early August.
Lubinets asserts, “The cessation of exchanges is solely due to Russia’s lack of cooperation. Ukraine’s efforts to repatriate its captured defenders are consistently met with Russian disinterest, even in reclaiming their own nationals.”
He further revealed that numerous Russian prisoners in Ukraine have expressed a desire to return to their homeland, but there appears to be little interest from the Russian side to facilitate their repatriation, according to Associated Press.
In a recent statement, the Ukrainian government disclosed that since 2014, they have documented 3,574 Ukrainian military personnel and 763 civilians being held captive by Russian forces or their separatist allies. It’s important to note that these numbers include individuals who have since been released and returned to Ukraine. However, the report cautions that these figures may not fully capture the extent of the situation.
The Ukrainian Armed Forces report that through 48 exchanges, a total of 2,598 individuals have been liberated from Russian captivity, as reported by Reuters. This ongoing issue highlights a critical aspect of the conflict’s human cost, underscoring the complexities and challenges in the process of prisoner exchanges.
