Russia “repeatedly refused” to take its POWs Ukraine offered for swap - ombudsman

Russia has repeatedly refused Ukraine’s offers to take their prisoners of war as part of exchange efforts.

That’s according to Dmytro Lubinets, the Verkhovna Rada's Commissioner for Human Rights, who spoke on the air of the national telethon, Ukrinform reports.

"Russia has repeatedly refused to take its prisoners that Ukraine offered for exchange. Today I received another list of Russian prisoners of war that Ukraine offered to swap, and Russia snubbed it," said Lubinets.

He also noted that Russia absolutely ignores the Geneva Convention on the Treatment of Prisoners of War. "Russian prisoners in Ukraine were visited every month by representatives of the International Committee of the Red Cross and were in contact with their relatives. Our prisoners never once saw a representative of the ICRC and none of them were able to communicate with their relatives or receive a letter from them. Again and again, we record violations of the Geneva Convention by Russia,” the ombudsman emphasized.

He said he would demand that the ICRC document every violation of the rights of Ukrainian prisoners of war and demand that the Russian side shift its approaches to the exchange.

As Ukrinform reported earlier, 230 Ukrainian defenders returned to Ukraine from Russian captivity. Among them are 130 representatives of the Armed Forces (including 14 Navy servicemen), 55 National Guardsmen, 38 border guards, a policeman, and six civilians who had been illegally deprived of liberty.

Among those returned were those who had the official status of a prisoner of war, confirmed through the International Committee of the Red Cross (182 persons), as well as some Ukrainian servicemen who were considered missing (48).

Among those released, five are women. Also, 213 former POWs are rank-and-file servicemen and sergeants, and eleven are officers.