MOSCOW - The Russian Federation has published a list of 224 Ukrainian prisoners of war that, according to Moscow, it is ready to hand over to Ukraine in exchange for Russian citizens being held in Ukrainian captivity. Jana Lantratova, the Russian commissioner for human rights, stated that Kyiv is rejecting the offer from the Russian side. Today, Moscow and Kyiv also carried out an exchange of civilians in Belarus, according to the Belta news agency. Russia received eight people, while Ukraine received seven. The exchange took place at the Novaya Guta border crossing. Belarusian rescue services and medical personnel were present at the scene.
Jana Lantratova, the Russian commissioner for human rights, published a list of 224 Ukrainian citizens that Russia is ready to hand over to Ukraine as part of a possible prisoner exchange. According to Moscow, this is another attempt to resume negotiations regarding the return of Russian soldiers who are being held in Ukrainian captivity.
“We are prepared for various options for the exchange. Our goal is to free our men who have been captured. We are publishing a list of Ukrainian citizens that we are ready to hand over in exchange for ours. This concerns human lives,” Lantratova said.
According to the Russian official, Moscow has already presented three different lists of Ukrainian prisoners intended for a possible exchange to Kyiv during the past month. Lantratova claims that the Ukrainian side is rejecting these lists. According to Moscow, the publication of the names is also intended to increase pressure for continued negotiations on the prisoner exchange.
The issue of prisoners of war is one of the sensitive areas in Russian-Ukrainian relations. Even during the ongoing conflict, both sides have managed to carry out a number of exchanges in the past. These are among the few areas where practical communication can take place between Moscow and Kyiv despite the ongoing fighting.
Lantratova also called on families of Russian soldiers who are being held in Ukrainian captivity not to lose hope. She stated that Russian authorities will continue efforts to secure their return.
“We will do everything we can to ensure that our men return home,” according to Russian sources. The publication of the list of 224 Ukrainian prisoners may represent another step by Moscow in its efforts to advance negotiations on the exchange.
However, the claims about Kyiv rejecting the lists are based on statements from the Russian commissioner, and the specific reasons or position of the Ukrainian side will need to be assessed separately. A potential exchange would affect hundreds of families on both sides of the conflict. For relatives of captured soldiers, the return of loved ones represents one of the most sensitive humanitarian issues associated with the war.
gnews.cz - JAV