Some Ukrainian servicemen held prisoner in the Lugansk People’s Republic have asked not to include them in prisoner exchange list as they wish to stay in the Republic, LPR ombudsperson Viktoria Serdyukova said.
“Some servicemen have stated their refusal to be included in the POW lists for exchange with Ukraine wishing to stay in the LPR,” Serdyukova said in a post on Telegram.
Her representatives have recently visited an accommodation facility where more than 500 Ukrainian POWs are kept.
“We’ve checked the conditions which meet all the norms of international humanitarian law, including the treatment of prisoners of war. They have hot meals three times a day, medical assistance and clothes that meet the norms for weather and temperature,” the ombudsperson said.
She said that her Office had found out the fate of another nine Ukrainian servicemen following their relatives’ requests.
In late February 2022, Serdyukova's Office launched a hotline for relatives of the Ukrainian servicemen who laid down arms. It has received 696 requests to find missing Ukrainian citizens who fought on the side of Ukraine since; the fate of more than 500 of them is unknown.
The Ukrainian government launched the so-called anti-terrorist operation against Donbass in April 2014. The peace talks that began soon thereafter failed to reach tangible results due to Kiev’s position to settle the conflict by force.
Russian President Vladimir Putin announced a special military operation to protect Donbass residents from Ukrainian aggression on February 24, 2022. Prior to that, LPR and DPR Heads Leonid Pasechnik and Denis Pushilin asked the Russian leader to provide military assistance.
The Lugansk People’s Republic acceded to Russia on September 30, 2022 following the unification referendum. *i*ie
