Elena Teslova
27 January 2026•Update: 27 January 2026
MOSCOW
Russia and Ukraine are currently in active discussions about organizing a new exchange of war prisoners, Russian Human Rights Commissioner Tatyana Moskalkova said on Tuesday.
Moskalkova, presenting her report on activities for 2025 in the Russian parliament, said the swap is expected to take place soon, but the number of individuals involved and organizational issues are still being discussed.
"There is an ongoing active discussion on the number of individuals who will be involved in the exchange, as well as organizational issues. I hope that this will take place soon," she said.
Moskalkova also suggested considering the establishment of a checkpoint between Russia and Ukraine for family reunification and the return of people whose passports expired.
Today, Russian citizens are unable to leave Ukrainian territory via other countries due to expired passports, and in the absence of diplomatic relations, cooperation with international organizations is the only option for returning them, she said.
"Perhaps we should discuss whether it would be possible to open one crossing point specifically for Russian citizens who wish to visit their relatives but do not have valid documents to legally exit via other countries," she said.
The official added that there is demand for such efforts, and her office has already helped more than 50 families reunite over the past year.
Ukraine has yet to respond to the Russian official's comments on the swap.
The last prisoner exchange, when 185 people were returned from each side, took place in October.
Agreements on prisoner swaps were reached during Russian-Ukrainian talks in Istanbul. The sides held three rounds of negotiations, resulting in agreements on a “1,000 for 1,000” exchange, plans for another large-scale swap, the mutual handover of fallen soldiers’ remains, and a deal to return at least 1,200 prisoners from each side.
