Ukraine slams Russia's "propaganda" POWs exchange proposals, says no official offers received

Brigadier General Dmytro Usov, the secretary of the Coordination Headquarters, stated that Ukraine has yet to receive any official proposals.

“The Russian side is making loud claims about the number of prisoners they supposedly want to exchange, and even publishing lists. However, we have not received any real offers through official channels,” Usov said.

The Coordination Headquarters reviewed the lists and pointed out that seven prisoners had already been exchanged, and many of the names and birthdates were incorrect. Additionally, the lists include 14 civilians.

“In other words, Russian propagandists are proposing to swap our ordinary citizens for their military personnel, which is a clear violation of international humanitarian law,” Usov emphasized.

He added that Ukraine has only received genuine proposals from Russia regarding the exchange of prisoners captured in the Kursk region. Meanwhile, the Russian authorities have shown no interest in negotiating the exchange of prisoners from other areas, the Coordination Headquarters reported.

"Russia ignores all laws of war and has no intention of doing so. The Russian authorities have never cared about the fate of their citizens, and they still don’t. Propagandists are just playing to the public. The real ways to bring people back - like repatriation, mixed medical commissions, or an 'all-for-all' exchange - are still blocked by the Kremlin," Usov concluded.

Background

Earlier, Russian Ombudsman Tatyana Moskalkova accused Ukraine of delaying prisoner exchanges. She claimed that Ukraine is refusing to take back Ukrainian soldiers who, according to her, have been held in Russia for over a year.