Ukraine is negotiating with the Russian Federation on the release of 28 Ukrainian journalists from captivity, — Lubinets

Ukraine is negotiating with Russia for the release of 28 Ukrainian journalists from captivity. They are being treated as a separate category of civilian hostages.

This was stated during a Ukrinform press conference by Dmytro Lubinets, the Verkhovna Rada Commissioner for Human Rights of Ukraine.

According to the ombudsman, working communication is ongoing, although the Russian side systematically delays the exchanges. “Yes, we are negotiating. We have a separate list of journalists and members of the journalistic community among various categories of civilian hostages that is being worked on,” Lubinets confirmed.

He noted that details of the negotiations on possible exchanges are not being disclosed at this time, as public discussion of each step by the parties could hinder reaching agreements.

At the same time, Lubinets stressed that Russia shows no readiness for humanitarian steps regarding the release of prisoners of war and civilians. According to him, every return of Ukrainians from captivity is accompanied by certain agreements that are beneficial to the Russian side.

“The Russian side has never, ever taken a single humanitarian step. When Ukraine brings its citizens back, it means that something has been done for the Russian side,” the ombudsman said.

Lubinets recalled that on June 27, Ukraine managed to return seven civilian citizens. After that, he said, an opportunity arose to resume working contacts on previous agreements that the Ukrainian side had begun developing during cooperation with former Russian Human Rights Commissioner Tatyana Moskalkova.

“We proposed some options, and they came back asking whether it was still in progress and whether we were ready to continue these initiatives. To which we replied: ‘Yes, we are ready. First and foremost, to continue with prisoners of war and open a window of opportunity for the return of civilians,’” the ombudsman noted.

According to Lubinets, the negotiation process on the return of Ukrainians from Russian captivity has not been suspended. The parties continue working communication, but it is the Russian side that systematically delays the talks and exchanges.