Ukraine and Russia are discussing a framework for a future large-scale exchange of prisoners of war, which could involve at least 1,000 people. This was announced by Ukrainian Parliamentary Commissioner for Human Rights Dmytro Lubinets following a conversation with Russian Ombudsman Yana Lantratova.
According to Lubinets, he contacted Lantratova immediately after information about the possible exchange emerged in order to discuss the next steps.
“After information emerged about the possibility of an exchange, I immediately contacted Yana Lantratova to discuss the steps related to this issue. In response, I received confirmation that at least 1,000 people were being considered. At the same time, efforts must continue to make the number of people as large as possible,” Lubinets said.The Ukrainian ombudsman did not specify a date for the possible exchange. His remarks make clear that the talks are focused on clarifying the mechanism and increasing the number of people who could be included.
Earlier this week, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that Kyiv and Moscow were discussing a large-scale exchange that could involve between 1,000 and 1,500 people. The new confirmation from Lantratova sets a lower limit of at least 1,000 people, but does not mean that the exchange has already been agreed or carried out.
The specific lists, date and conditions for the possible return of the prisoners of war have not been announced. For now, the only confirmed information is that representatives of the two sides remain in contact regarding the framework and are discussing the practical steps for implementing it.