Russian ombudsman accuses Ukraine of holding up prisoner exchange: Lubinets refutes claim

The Ombudsman of the Russian Federation, Tatyana Moskalkova, published a list of 630 Ukrainian prisoners of war whom Ukraine allegedly "does not want" to take back. In turn, the Commissioner for Human Rights of the Verkhovna Rada, Dmytro Lubinets, denied this statement.

Moskalkova and Lubinets reported that on Telegram.

According to Moskalkova, the Ukrainian side allegedly "continues to delay the Russian-Ukrainian exchange of prisoners."

At the same time, Lubinets denied these words, noting that Ukraine is ready to take back all its citizens from captivity and illegal detention. He also emphasized another manipulation by the aggressor state.

"Once again, I have learned about the lists of Ukrainian prisoners of war published by the Russian Human Rights Commissioner, whom allegedly Ukraine does not agree to repatriate.

Once again, I would like to clarify that this information is false and confirm that Ukraine is fully prepared to bring all of its citizens back from captivity and unlawful detention!" the Ukrainian Ombudsman emphasized.

Lubinets once again noted that the methods of the Russian Federation remain unchanged.

"Russian methods remain unchanged and, as always, cynical towards those waiting for their Defenders to return home.

Ukraine is not and has not delayed the implementation of the exchanges. Still, on the contrary, it has declared its readiness to repatriate seriously wounded and seriously ill prisoners, having created a mixed medical commission. And the side that is really not interested in the return and implementation of the exchanges is still ignoring the creation of such a commission!" the Verkhovna Rada Commissioner for Human Rights stressed.

It is worth adding that through Qatar, the Verkhovna Rada Commissioner for Human Rights, Dmytro Lubinets, received lists of Ukrainian service members who went missing, as well as letters from prisoners of war.

The Ministerial Conference on the Human Dimension of the Peace Formula was also held in Montreal. The participants approved the Joint Communiqué. The participating states undertook to facilitate the return of all captured and deported Ukrainian citizens.

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It should be noted that on October 18, 95 Ukrainian servicemen, among whom were Azovstal defenders and the well-known human rights activist Maksym Butkevych, returned home from Russian captivity. This was the 58th exchange of prisoners of war that Ukraine conducted in the "95 for 95" format.

Soldiers who defended Mariupol and Azovstal, Donetsk, Luhansk, Kharkiv, Kyiv, Chernihiv, and Kherson regions were among them.

A feature of this exchange was that among the released defenders, there were soldiers who received the so-called "sentences" of the judicial system of the aggressor country, Russia. Among the released prisoners were "sentenced":

• 28 – to long terms,
• and 20 – to life imprisonment.

More than 34 soldiers of the 12th brigade of the National Guard "Azov" who participated in the defense of Mariupol in the spring of 2022 managed to return home.

The Angels Patronage Service added that they are deeply grateful for the assistance and versatile support in organizing the exchange to the United Arab Emirates.