Over 14,000 Ukrainian civilians held captive by Russia

He said this at a press conference, Suspilne reports.

Lubinets emphasized that it is more difficult to return civilians home than military personnel or children. At the same time, he noted that among the 14,000 civilian prisoners, there are people who have been detained by Russia since 2014, particularly in Crimea.

"This number includes Ukrainian citizens detained by Russia since 2014, in the territory of the Republic of Crimea, and in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions, as well as those detained since the beginning of the full-scale invasion in all the territories of Ukraine that were or are under occupation," he said. 

The ombudsman also noted that more than 2,000 Ukrainians aged 65 and older are currently in Russian captivity.

• Dmytro Lubinets also said that he did not believe in the exchange of prisoners under the "all for all" formula in the near future, because he did not see Russia's readiness.