By Burc Eruygur
ISTANBUL (AA) - Russia’s ombudswoman named the resumption of prisoner swaps with Ukraine as a priority, state media reported on Saturday.
“The number one issue today is to unblock prisoner exchanges,” Tatyana Moskalkova told journalists following a meeting with President of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) Mirjana Spoljaric in Geneva, according to state news agency RIA.
Moskalkova said she provided a list of Ukrainian servicemen currently in Russia whom they are prepared to hand over to Kyiv, noting Ukraine previously provided the Russian side with lists and that Moscow agreed on their transfer.
“We hope that exchanges will resume,” Moskalkova said, noting that the timing of possible exchanges, as well as the number of prisoners involved, were not discussed.
Moskalkova also said her country delivered 2,000 parcels to Ukraine for Russian prisoners, completing a mutual exchange of 2,000 parcels for prisoners on each side that was agreed upon in December last year.
The ICRC announced Friday that Spoljaric held bilateral meetings with Moskalkova and Ukrainian ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets at the organization’s headquarters in Switzerland.
“The discussions focused on addressing the needs of persons protected under international humanitarian law such as prisoners of war, civilians deprived of liberty and missing persons,” the statement said.
It also said the meetings are part of the ICRC’s ongoing efforts to work with both parties to address humanitarian concerns amid the ongoing war, which is set to enter its fifth year next month.
Commenting on his meeting with the ICRC president in Geneva, Lubinets said on US social media company X that they discussed prisoner swaps and access to Ukrainian prisoners, among other issues.
Russia and Ukraine last conducted a prisoner exchange on Oct. 2, 2025 as part of deals reached in the Turkish metropolis Istanbul, which hosted three rounds of direct peace talks earlier that year.
Both sides have accused each other of delaying prisoner swaps.