More than 40 fighters each
Kyiv and Moscow agree on prisoner exchange
01/11/2023 8:33 p.m
The Russian invasion of Ukraine not only resulted in thousands of deaths and injuries, but also many fighters on both sides were taken prisoner of war. In Turkish Ankara, representatives of both countries are now agreeing on another exchange of prisoners. More than 40 fighters are said to be released at a time.
Russia and Ukraine have agreed to another prisoner swap in Turkey. Russian Human Rights Commissioner Tatyana Moskalkova said after meeting her Ukrainian colleague Dmytro Lubinets in Ankara that they had agreed to exchange more than 40 prisoners each. Talks are scheduled to continue on Thursday.
It is expected that Moskalkova and Lubinets will then officially exchange prisoner lists. According to the Turkish human rights commissioner Seref Malkoc, the two also called for the establishment of a humanitarian corridor in the war zone “under the patronage of Recep Tayyip Erdogan”. Turkey’s president later said he was “ready” to oversee a “corridor for the wounded.”
Meetings between officials of Russia and Ukraine have been very rare since Russia’s war of aggression against the neighboring country began. Both countries have nevertheless repeatedly been able to agree on prisoner exchanges.
Ukraine and Russia accuse each other of human rights violations and war crimes. According to the UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine, there are credible reports of torture and ill-treatment of prisoners of war on both sides.