Statement of Daria Morozova on the eve of the meeting in Minsk

Comments and statements of the Ombudsman News

The exchange of prisoners in the format “all confirmed for all confirmed” remains the top priority issue of the meeting of the humanitarian subgroup. Our position remains unchanged – we demand the release of all persons confirmed by the Ukrainian side.

Particular attention will be given to cases of illegal detention of Donbass women who are irrelevant to the conflict. I recall, there are 40 women kept in Ukrainian prisons who have been groundlessly accused of committing criminal offenses. It should be understood that detention of women under false charges has no legal grounds and is getting mass-scale.

Searching for missing persons and returning documents to those previously released from Ukrainian captivity is another issue of the agenda.

I insist that the exchange is performed in the shortest possible time. If Kiev really wants to release its military men, rather than organize mass rallies involving their relatives, as it was in Kirovograd, Ukraine representatives will demonstrate their political will to do so, and we will perform the exchange. I would like to emphasize once again that there are no reasoned obstacles to this, both sides have long been ready to return the men to their families.