Russia suspends POW exchange with Ukraine

Russia suspends the exchange of prisoners of war, citing “far-fetched demands” from Ukraine.

Russian media reported on this.

According to Tatyana Moskalkova, the Commissioner for Human Rights in the Russian Federation, the exchange of prisoners of war is suspended due to “far-fetched demands.”

She refused to elaborate on the exact demands from Ukraine, but at the same time, she focused on them.

“Unfortunately, the exchanges have been suspended for several months because of Ukraine, which is constantly making new, far-fetched demands,” she said.

She also emphasized that visits to prisoners of war on both sides are mirrored.

“According to the agreement, we visit our prisoners of war on a day-to-day basis: the Ukrainian ombudsman visits our prisoners of war, and I visit Ukrainian servicemen,” Moskalkova said.

In addition, she added that the last agreement was the mirror transfer of items and letters from home to the prisoners.

As previously reported, the last exchange of prisoners of war took place on February 8, 2024, in a 100-for-100 format.

The rescued servicemen included 49 soldiers of the National Guard of Ukraine, 25 border guards, 26 servicemen of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, and in particular, 11 soldiers of the Territorial Defense Forces.

At least 28 liberated people had injuries or serious illnesses. The oldest is 62 years old, and the youngest is 20.

The exchange took place despite the crash of an IL-76 transport plane in the Belgorod region on January 24, 2024. Russian officials claimed that the plane was carrying Ukrainian prisoners of war who died, although no evidence has been shown to date.