Ukrainian Parliamentary Commissioner for Human Rights Dmytro Lubinets said that Russia, in violation of international law, does not allow representatives of the International Committee of the Red Cross to visit Ukrainian prisoners of war.
That is why, according to him, the procedure for confirming their status is not being carried out to the extent that would be desirable.
At the same time, the status of a prisoner of war and a missing person does not affect the repatriation process. Almost 40% of those who have already been returned home were considered missing.
Lubinets also said that in order to speed up the exchanges, Ukraine is trying to involve new intermediary countries. To date, the United Arab Emirates has publicly joined the Ukrainian side.
A recent report by the UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Violations in Ukraine states that the practice of torture of Ukrainian civilians and prisoners of war by Russians is widespread and systematic. The report states that the detention of prisoners was carried out by the Russians with blatant disregard for human dignity and caused long-term physical and mental trauma.