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Ukraine and Russia Agree to Re-Verify Prisoner Lists
Following talks in Belarus, Ukraine and Russia have decided to re-check all lists prepared for prisoners of war and civilian hostages. The parties aim to enter a new phase in exchange and monitoring processes.
Ukraine and Russia will start verifying all lists related to prisoners of war and civilian hostages from scratch. Ukraine's Human Rights Ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets announced that this step was agreed upon after the meeting held in Belarus on June 5.
Lubinets said his meeting with the newly appointed Russian counterpart Yana Lantratova lasted about three hours. It was reported that the first part of the meeting involved a roughly 30-minute private conversation between the two, followed by negotiations with delegations consisting of three representatives from each side.
New Phase in Prisoner and Hostage File
Lubinets stated that the parties agreed on "starting from scratch." Within this framework, Ukraine requested priority for severely wounded, seriously ill, and those held captive the longest in future return processes.
The Ukrainian official also said that they provided the Russian side with a list of prison colonies and detention centers where they believe the rights of Ukrainian prisoners of war are most severely violated. He added that they received positive signals in preliminary talks about conducting inspection visits to these facilities and reporting the findings.
Monitoring Proposal for Red Cross and Third Countries
It was noted that Ukraine proposed granting the International Committee of the Red Cross access to Ukrainian prisoners in Russia. Additionally, the establishment of a monitoring mission including ombudsmen from third countries was brought up.
Lubinets also mentioned that some foreign ombudsmen expressed readiness to participate in such a mission. The meeting paved the way for renewed discussions on international monitoring mechanisms regarding prisoners and hostages.
Contacts with Moscow Reestablished from Scratch
Lubinets said he had worked with the former Russian ombudsman Tatyana Moskalkova for about four years, but talks with Lantratova have effectively started anew. This is seen as marking a new era in contacts between the two sides.
It was also recalled that Lantratova faces accusations of involvement in the forced deportation of Ukrainian children and openly supports Russia's laws banning so-called "LGBT propaganda."
Followed Immediately After Exchange
These contacts took place one day after the latest prisoner exchange on June 5. In that exchange, 185 Ukrainian prisoners of war and one civilian returned from Russia.
Prisoner exchanges have remained one of the limited areas of cooperation between Kyiv and Moscow since the large-scale Russian invasion began in 2022. The recent meeting stood out as a new sign that this channel could be revitalized.
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