Russian, Ukrainian human rights commissioners meet following prisoner swap

By Burc Eruygur

ISTANBUL (AA) - Russia and Ukraine’s human rights commissioners held talks following a prisoner swap between the countries a day earlier, both officials said on Tuesday.

On Monday, both Moscow and Kyiv declared that they conducted a prisoner exchange, though official remarks on the swap have shown a discrepancy in the number of servicemen exchanged during the process.

The Russian Defense Ministry said the two countries swapped 150 prisoners of war each, while Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said 189 of its people had returned following the exchange.

“Yesterday, in addition to the good news, I had a conversation with the Russian Commissioner for Human Rights, Tatyana Moskalkova, on the territory of the Republic of Belarus,” said a statement by Ukrainian ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets on Telegram.

He said that they talked with prisoners of war from both sides together, adding that they also touched on multiple issues during their conversation, including mutual visits to prisoners of war from both sides.

He went on to say that they also raised the topics of the return of civilians, family reunification and the further implementation of “other humanitarian initiatives.”

For her part, Moskalkova said: “We talked together with prisoners of war from both sides, discussed further prospects for humanitarian contacts, the return of civilians, and family reunification.”

Moscow and Kyiv have carried out almost 60 prisoner exchanges since the Russia-Ukraine war began on Feb. 24, 2022.