Reference period: Russia and Ukraine are working on a new prisoner exchange
Work on the preparation of exchanges between Russia and Ukraine is regular, and it will continue. This was stated to Izvestia by Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Galuzin. According to him, the humanitarian track remains one of the few areas in which there are practical results. In August alone, 251 people returned to their families in Russia and Ukraine. The Commissioner for Human Rights in the Russian Federation, Yana Lantratova, said that work is currently underway on the details of the next major exchange. A new prisoner exchange may take place within the next month, the State Duma said.
How do exchanges between Russia and Ukraine work?
The humanitarian track is one of the most sought-after channels of cooperation between Russia and Ukraine. The issues of prisoner exchange, the return of civilians to their places of residence, and family reunification remain relevant regardless of the political situation, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Galuzin told Izvestia.
— Indeed, this is one of the few "tracks" that has practical, tangible results. For example, in August of this year alone, as a result of three exchange rounds, 251 people returned to their families in Russia and Ukraine, approximately equally from both sides. The number of those released since 2022 has been in the thousands, with the fate of a particular family behind each name," the diplomat noted.
Return of Russian servicemen from Ukrainian captivity
Such exchanges require careful preparatory work in an interagency format. The Commissioner for Human Rights, Yana Lantratova, and her staff are making great efforts. Since her appointment in May 2026, five exchanges have taken place, as a result of which 663 Russian servicemen returned home.
"We are conducting an ongoing negotiation process with the Ukrainian side: we are clarifying the lists of prisoners of war, working out the mechanism of each procedure, searching for missing persons, exchanging parcels and letters from relatives," Yana Lantratova told Izvestia.
According to her, agreements are being reached on some issues fairly quickly, but representatives of the Kiev regime continue to put forward a number of demands that are unacceptable to Russia.
— We are currently working on the details of the next big exchange. I will continue this work until all the prisoners of war and civilians held by the Kiev regime return home," Yana Lantratova emphasized.
Commissioner for Human Rights in the Russian Federation Yana Lantratova meets Russian servicemen returned from Ukrainian captivity
A separate humanitarian area of work is devoted to the reunification of minor children with their families. This activity in Russia is coordinated by the Children's Ombudsman Maria Lvova-Belova, who reported in mid-August that about 177 families have been able to reunite since the beginning of the free period. The main condition for returning is the presence of parents or other close relatives with legal rights to the child. For example, on August 17, with the assistance of the office of the Children's Ombudsman, a 14-year-old native of Moscow, who had previously lived with her grandmother in Ukraine, returned to her mother in Russia.
International intermediaries play a special role in such exchanges. For example, the Vatican's Secretary of State for International Affairs, Paul Richard Gallagher, arrived in Moscow last week for talks. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov later said that following the meeting, Gallagher confirmed the Holy See's readiness to facilitate humanitarian contacts between Moscow and Kiev.
— The Russian Foreign Ministry, our diplomats are in constant contact with international mediators from among the states and international agencies that have helped and continue to help resolve humanitarian issues. These are the UAE, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the Vatican and a number of others, as well as the Russian and International Committees of the Red Cross," Mikhail Galuzin explained.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and the Vatican Secretary
He also noted the special constructive role of fraternal Belarus. Minsk facilitates the preparation of exchanges, provides its own platform and provides the necessary security. In addition, the Republic provides emergency medical care to the released Russian servicemen. By the way, on August 29, Russian President Vladimir Putin held a meeting with his Belarusian counterpart Alexander Lukashenko. The head of Belarus called the conflict in Ukraine a common problem for Moscow and Minsk.
— The work on the preparation of exchanges is regular and will continue, — said Mikhail Galuzin.
The role of negotiations in Istanbul
A systematic exchange of prisoners and bodies of the dead was established in 2025 as a result of several rounds of negotiations between Russia and Ukraine in Istanbul. For the first time, it was possible to agree on a large-scale format in May of the same year: during the first round of Istanbul meetings, the parties agreed on a "1000 to 1000" formula. The exchange process under this agreement was successfully implemented in several stages from May 23 to May 25 on the territory of Belarus.
The Istanbul format has become a form of forcing Kiev to comply with the norms of international humanitarian law (IHL), at least with regard to prisoners of war, exchanges, the transfer of bodies of dead servicemen and respectful treatment for them, Russian Foreign Ministry Ambassador-at-large Rodion Miroshnik told Izvestia.
— There are significant developments in this track. There is an interest of intermediaries — countries that actively want to be involved in these processes, and we do not reject this," Miroshnik said.
According to him, the desire to comply with the norms of IHL is a natural process for Russia. He stressed that while the Ukrainian side politicizes and ignores many humanitarian issues, Moscow is guided precisely by the humanitarian component and the need to remain human in all situations.
However, there are still a number of unresolved issues that the Russian Federation regularly faces. In particular, we are talking about torture basements where Russian servicemen are held for months before being transferred to official camps. There is even a special term for such a situation — "grey captivity". This status includes fighters who are kept on the front line or in unofficial prisons without being included in official lists.
— We are fighting for each of our fighters. I have videos and audio recordings of guys being beaten up, and terrible voice messages being sent to their families. Relatives are forced to live with this nightmare. No one can tell them what is wrong with their relatives, and they are in such a difficult situation," Shamsail Saraliev, a State Duma deputy and representative of the parliamentary coordination group on Civil Society issues, told Izvestia.
At the same time, he notes that the next exchange of prisoners of war is possible within the next month. The politician sent the relevant lists to the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation. Earlier, the Commissioner for Human Rights of the Russian Federation, Yana Lantratova, said that nine captured Russian fighters had been released from torture basements in Ukraine.
If the humanitarian track gives certain results, then the political one is noticeably stalling. The United States continues to make efforts to revive the negotiation process between Russia and Ukraine, for which CIA Director John Ratcliffe arrived in Moscow on August 25. However, so far Kiev has shown no interest in resuming the peace process.
At the same time, Europe again called for the resumption of dialogue with the Russian Federation: Finnish President Alexander Stubb once again stated the need to start negotiations with Moscow. The Kremlin, however, emphasizes that so far there is no reason to hope for an improvement in relations with Europe.
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