Prisoner exchanges with Russia are set to become systematic in 2025. Currently, there is a "preliminary agreement" with the Russian side.
"I don't want this to sound like an announcement right now. But we will see if the Russian side keeps its word. If they do, then Ukrainian society will witness this systematization in terms of quantity, timelines, and categories," Ukrainian ombudsman Dmitry Lubinets stated in an interview with the Rada TV channel.
Moreover, according to Lubinets, for the first time during the full-scale war of the Russian Federation against Ukraine, it has been recorded that lists will be formed primarily based on physical health.
"That is, severely wounded and seriously ill individuals will be prioritized for return. The last principle is fairness: those who have been in captivity the longest will be released first," he explained.
At the same time, in his Telegram channel, the ombudsman noted that there is a preliminary agreement with the Russian Federation that every Ukrainian prisoner of war and civilian hostage will receive a package of items from Ukraine with the help of the ICRC.
"We will see if the Russian side keeps its word," Dmitry Lubinets added.
Prisoner exchanges with the Russian Federation
The latest prisoner exchange took place on December 30, 2024. At that time, 189 Ukrainians returned home. A total of 87 servicemen of the Armed Forces of Ukraine were freed from Russian captivity (including 17 from the Territorial Defense), along with 43 fighters from the National Guard of Ukraine, 33 border guards, 24 representatives of the Navy, and two civilians.
Additionally, the commander of the 12th Special Purpose Brigade "Azov," Hero of Ukraine Denis Prokopenko, reported that 11 servicemen from the brigade returned home from Russian captivity.