Ukraine created mixed medical commissions to facilitate the exchange of prisoners. In order for this mechanism to work, they must be formed by Russia.
This was reported by the Office of the Commissioner for Human Rights.
Mixed medical commissions will help free Ukrainian prisoners and exchange Russians. This is the third time in world history that such an initiative will be implemented.
According to the Geneva Conventions, three doctors will be involved in the commission: one doctor from the country holding the prisoners of war, and two doctors from neutral countries. The commission will determine the condition and diagnosis of the prisoner, and may also recommend repatriating the prisoner or sending him for treatment to a neutral country, if the Russian Federation agrees. Also, repatriation is possible only with the consent of the prisoner.
The process of returning Ukrainian defenders home is very difficult, because Russia does not want to exchange even its own soldiers.
- Data from the Ministry of Reintegration of the Temporarily Occupied Territories as of mid-November 2023 indicate that there are currently 4 337 Ukrainians in Russian captivity, of which 3 574 are military and 763 are civilians.
- 2 600 people have already been returned from Russian captivity. Mostly they are military, but there are also civilians.
- At the beginning of September, Ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets said that there are not enough Russian prisoners of war in Ukraine to exchange for Ukrainian ones. This is one of the problems. The second problem is that, according to Lubinets, "the Russian side is not at all interested in Russian prisoners of war."