Almost 40% of Ukrainians returned from Russia were considered missing, – ombudsman

Source: Ukraine’s ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets

Approximately 40% of Ukrainian citizens who have already been returned home were considered missing, Ukraine’s ombudsman stated.

The Russian Federation violates the international law by not giving International Red Cross representatives access to the Ukrainian prisoners of war.

‘That is why the procedure for confirming their status does not take place to the desired extent. At the same time, the status of a prisoner of war and a missing person does not affect the repatriation process. Almost 40% of those who had already been returned home were considered missing,’ Lubinets stated.

The ombudsman reported that Ukraine is trying to attract new intermediaries to speed up exchanges. According to him, the United Arab Emirates agreed to take part in the process.