Pope calls on Ukraine, Russia to exchange POWs in "all for all" format. Ukraine responds 

Pope Francis made the statement about the need for the exchange on March 31, Vatican News reports.

"My thoughts go first and foremost to the victims of the many conflicts that are going on in the world, starting with the wars in Israel and Palestine, as well as in Ukraine. May the risen Christ open a path of peace for the war-torn peoples of those regions. In calling for respect for the principles of international law, I express my hope for a general exchange of all prisoners between Russia and Ukraine: all for the sake of all!" the Pope emphasized.

Ukraine’s response

On April 8, Human Rights Ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets told Radio Liberty that Ukraine is working on preparing a large exchange, but that everything depends on Russia.

"I can't say that I have a feeling right now that we're on the verge of some big all-for-all exchange. This does not mean that we are not working on it. But again, the only problem we face is the unwillingness of the Russian side to conduct exchange processes," he said.

Russia holds thousands of military and civilians prisoner

Ukraine's Prosecutor General Andriy Kostin says that Russians are holding over 10,000 civilian Ukrainians in the occupied territories and Russia. In criminal proceedings, 5,600 civilians have been identified as victims of torture by the Russian troops

Besides, the UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission has recorded 12 cases of executions of at least 32 Ukrainian prisoners of war between December 2023 and the end of February 2024.

This is stated in the 38th report of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, published on 26 March.

The report also describes the conditions of detention of Ukrainian prisoners of war in Russia and the temporarily occupied territories. The report's authors, in particular, interviewed 60 Ukrainian servicemen recently released from captivity. The data obtained during these interviews confirm that the Russian army continues to use torture and ill-treatment against Ukrainian prisoners of war. The mission received testimonies of deaths in captivity, torture, horrific conditions of detention, etc.