Ukraine says Russia refuses to exchange Muslim POWs

Ukraine offered Russia to exchange prisoners of war who profess Islam on an "all for all" basis to mark the beginning of Ramadan, but Russia turned down the offer.

The advisor on communications of the Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine, Daria Zarivna, said this in an interview with Voice of America, Ukrinform reports.

"We came up with a proposal to exchange Muslims "all for all" on both sides as a sign of respect for their culture and traditions. Unfortunately, the Russian side accepted this idea without much enthusiasm," Zarivna said.

According to Zarivna, an initiative to exchange Muslim prisoners of war is one of many creative solutions that Ukrainian negotiators use to exchange prisoners.

"Our negotiation team is characterized by a proactive position. And we are constantly looking for different angles from which to approach. This is a difficult process that needs to be continued, constantly looking for new ways to get more of our people out," Zarivna added.

As Ukrinform reported earlier, Andriy Yusov, head of the working group of the Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War on engagement with the media and relatives of defenders, said that Ukraine negotiates with the Russian side on several exchanges at the same time. He added that Ukraine is attempting to agree on the exchange of prisoners in the "all for all" format.

On April 4, Ukraine gained back from Russian captivity 40 defenders of Zmiinyi Island.