Russia determines itself whom to hand over to Ukraine during exchanges - Lubinets
The Ukrainian side sends Russia lists of prisoners of war it considers a priority for return, but actually cannot influence whom Moscow will bring to the next exchange. At the same time, Ukraine conducts separate negotiations regarding the defenders of Mariupol, whom Ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets calls one of the most difficult categories to return.
Verkhovna Rada Commissioner for Human Rights Dmytro Lubinets said this in an interview with "Ukrainska Pravda".
Russia does not adhere to agreed criteria
According to Lubinets, Ukraine has long been trying to agree with the Russian side on clear criteria for forming lists for exchanges. The first priority category is seriously wounded and seriously ill prisoners of war.
The ombudsman stressed that according to the Third Geneva Convention, such people should be repatriated regardless of exchanges and without tying to the number of people returned by the sides. However, according to him, Russia does not agree to such a mechanism.
Ukraine's second priority is women, a significant number of whom are still in Russian captivity. The third criterion is the length of stay in captivity: those who have been there the longest should return first. In particular, Ukraine has a separate list of people who have remained in captivity since 2014.
According to Lubinets, at the political level during negotiations in Istanbul, the Russian side initially agreed to such principles. However, already during the next exchange, Russia handed over people who did not meet these criteria.
"From our side it always happens as follows: I hand over lists by categories, insisting on priority. But who the Russians actually give back, we do not know, do not influence, cannot directly pressure", - explained the ombudsman.
According to him, additional pressure on Moscow can be exerted by international mediators and partners of Ukraine, and in certain cases this brings results. Lubinets noted that recently Russia has begun to return Ukrainians who have been in captivity since 2022 more often.
Separate negotiations on Mariupol defenders
Currently, Ukraine is conducting separate negotiations on the return of Mariupol defenders. Lubinets called this direction extremely difficult.
When asked whether Vladimir Putin personally blocked the return of Mariupol garrison soldiers, the ombudsman did not give direct confirmation. He suggested waiting for the next exchanges, after which it will be possible to assess the effectiveness of the Ukrainian negotiation strategy.
Lubinets also reported that the Ukrainian negotiation group is actually searching daily for new opportunities to influence the Russian side - through foreign partners, international institutions and families of prisoners of war.
Contacts with the Russian side take place daily
After the appointment of Yana Lantratova as Russian ombudsman at the end of May 2026, Lubinets established a direct communication channel with her. The first conversation took place the very next day after her appointment, and on June 5 they held a personal meeting simultaneously with the exchange.
Currently, both offices have designated responsible staff members who pass information to each other on a daily basis and conduct additional verification of prisoners. According to Lubinets, on the eve of the interview he also personally negotiated with Lantratova and exchanged lists with her.
The last big exchange at the time of the interview took place on August 19 - the sides returned 103 people each. The United States and the United Arab Emirates participated in conducting it. Lubinets explained that decisions on such exchanges are first made at the political level, after which representatives of ombudsmen and other structures start working.
Over 300 known places of detention of Ukrainians
The ombudsman also cited new data about places where Russia holds Ukrainian prisoners of war and civilians.
According to him, the Ukrainian side has managed to verify 186 official places of detention. In addition, at least about 150 unofficial places are known - among them pits, garages and basements.
Thus, Ukraine knows about more than 300 places where its citizens have been held or continue to be held. Lubinets stressed that the real number of such facilities may be higher.
Thousands of civilians may remain in Russian captivity
About 16 thousand people are currently in the special register of missing persons under special circumstances. At the same time, this figure does not mean that all of them are confirmed to be in Russian captivity.
According to Lubinets, the International Committee of the Red Cross has verified the presence in captivity of 840 Ukrainian civilians. Ukrainian structures, based on their own sources, have information about 1850 civilians.
In addition, Ukraine is currently verifying data on another 2275 civilians who may be in Russian captivity. These figures should not be mechanically added together, as they refer to different methods and stages of verification.
Lubinets assumes that the true number of illegally held civilians may be much higher. The Ukrainian authorities only learn about some cases after relatives of prisoners leave the occupied territories and can safely report a person's disappearance.
Executions of 345 Ukrainian soldiers recorded
Separately, Lubinets reported that Ukrainian law enforcement agencies have legally recorded the executions of 345 Ukrainian soldiers. Criminal proceedings are opened for each such episode.
The last known case occurred on July 22 in the Donetsk region: a Ukrainian serviceman was captured, after which his shooting was recorded.
At the same time, the ombudsman believes that the actual number of such crimes may be at least five times higher than the documented number. This is his estimate, while the legally established figure he named is exactly 345 cases.
