According to Dmytro Lubinets, the Verkhovna Rada Commissioner for Human Rights, in the near future we should not expect an exchange of prisoners of war between Ukraine and Russia in the "all for all" format.
Points of attention
- Dmytro Lubinets does not expect a large-scale exchange of prisoners of war between Ukraine and Russia in the near future.
- The Ukrainian side is actively working towards conducting large exchanges but the results so far have been insufficient.
- The offensive of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in Kurshchyna could positively impact the exchange of prisoners with Russia based on the principle of justice.
- Agreements with Russia on the principles of exchange processes are crucial for the return of Ukrainian citizens and prisoners of war.
- Lubinets emphasizes the need to prioritize the release of prisoners based on the 'whoever was captured earlier should be the first to be exchanged' principle.
Why Lubinets does not expect a large-scale exchange of prisoners of war between Ukraine and the Russian Federation
The Ombudsman noted that Ukraine is doing everything possible to carry out large-scale exchanges of prisoners of war with the aggressor country.
The Ukrainian side is constantly taking the initiative to conduct large exchanges, including several times through intermediaries we took the initiative to conduct "all-for-all" exchanges. Do I believe that an all-for-all exchange could happen in the near future? No, I don't believe it. Do I believe that the Ukrainian side is doing everything possible to ensure that large exchanges take place? Yes, a large team of the Coordination Headquarters is engaged in this, I personally am in a daily mode, - emphasized Lubinets.
How the offensive of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in Kurshchyna affects the exchange of prisoners with Russia
He also confirmed that the offensive operation of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in Kurshchyna improves the situation with the return of Ukrainian citizens captured by Russia.
The Ombudsman noted that Ukraine supports the principle of justice in this matter and seeks to agree with Russia on the principles of conducting exchange processes.
I would very much like Russia and I to finally agree on the principles of exchange processes and the return of civilians using this situation. ... We need to use the principle of justice. Whoever was captured first, gets out first. We have lists of prisoners of war and civilian hostages taken by the Russians even before the full-scale invasion began - since 2014, we have Mariupol defenders who have been held captive for more than two years. Among them there are even those who, after verification and confirmation by the International Committee of the Red Cross, were wounded in captivity, which is nonsense from the point of view of international humanitarian law, Lubinets emphasized.
