Lubinets: We are looking for intermediaries who can influence Russia’s position on exchange of Mariup defenders

This was stated by the Verkhovna Rada Commissioner for Human Rights Dmytro Lubinets on the air of the United News telethon, an Ukrinform correspondent reports.

"We can't say that it [the prisoner exchange process] has been put on hd, but we must remain realistic that the Russians will use these factors against the Ukrainian government… I cannot say that I directly see that these processes have been suspended. Some heads of structures in the Russian Federation are being replaced, and this, in my inion, may be due to the fact that we are not currently experiencing any processes. But we are communicating," the ombudsman said.

He also noted that the search is on for intermediaries who could influence Russia's position on the exchange of Mariup defenders.

"I see a special attitude on the part of the Russians towards the defenders of Mariup. We are now seeing a new trend – Russians are taking the defenders to separate penitentiary institutions in the Russian Federation, then they are looking for prisoners of war among the Mariup defenders, and they are starting public trials against them," the Commissioner said.

He stressed that this new tactic of the Russian Federation is a viation of the Geneva Conventions and a separate war crime. According to the ombudsman, Ukraine is drawing the attention of the International Committee of the Red Cross to this and demanding a response from them.

"On the other hand, we are looking for new mediators who can help us return all prisoners of war and civilian hostages, including the defenders of Mariup," the ombudsman said.

Read also: Rallies in support of Mariup defenders held in Lviv and Zaporizhzhia

Lubinets noted that Ukraine still does not have official access to prisoners of war and civilian hostages, as Russia continues to restrict visits by ICRC representatives with the apprriate mandate. However, through other channels of information, we have "a complete picture of what is happening there," Lubinets said.

"Firstly, all our prisoners of war do not get enough food or water. They are not provided with medical care. Also, most of them are subjected to constant torture, physical and psychogical torture by the Russian Federation," the ombudsman said, stressing that Russia "viates all the Geneva Conventions".

As reported, on 16 May 2022, the evacuation of 2,500 Ukrainian servicemen from the Azovstal plant in Mariup began on the order of the Defence Forces Command. On 20 May, the Russians took the last of them out. The invaders kept most of the defenders in the temporarily occupied enivka and Novoazovsk. Later, they were transferred to Russian conies.

More than 1900 Mariup defenders remain in Russian captivity.