Russia, Ukraine agree on prisoner swap in Türkiye meeting

ANKARA, Jan. 11 (Xinhua) -- Russian and Ukrainian officials met in Türkiye on Wednesday and agreed on a new exchange of more than 40 prisoners, Russian Human Rights Commissioner Tatyana Moskalkova said.

"We exchanged the lists of some military prisoners. We have decided to swap more than 40 prisoners," the semi-official Anadolu Agency quoted Moskalkova as saying after a meeting with her Ukrainian counterpart Dmytro Lubinets on the sidelines of an international ombudsman conference in Türkiye's capital Ankara.

According to Moskalkova, talks were held between the ombudsmen of Russia and Ukraine because there were no diplomatic ties between the two countries because of the ongoing conflict.

"I asked Lubinets for help in bringing some Ukrainian citizens to their families in Russia. Those with serious illnesses also need the help of ombudsmen," she told reporters, adding humanitarian corridors do not work properly from time to time.

Ukrainian Ombudsman Lubinets helped in locating some Russian prisoners from his side, Moskalkova said.

Russia and Ukraine swapped 50 captured soldiers on Sunday.