MOSCOW, April 9. /TASS/. The exchange of prisoners of war between Russia and Ukraine did not happen through the fault of Kiev, head of Russia’s National Defense Control Center Mikhail Mizintsev said.
"The exchange of prisoners of war planned for April 8 yet again has not happened. Ukrainian authorities have been repeatedly introducing changes to the format of the swap over 24 hours and reducing the number of the prisoners of war subject to the exchange, subsequently, the planned swap was rejected by the Ukrainian side also without explanation," said Mizintsev, who heads Russia’s Joint Coordination Headquarters for Humanitarian Response in Ukraine.
According to him, such inconsistent behavior of the Kiev regime yet again proves Kiev’s blatant indifference to the fate of specific people, the Ukrainian servicemen. "Additionally, the facts listed testify to the intentional concealment by the Ukrainian authorities of the true medical condition of captured Russian troops as well as of the conditions of their confinement," the military official stressed.
He said that Russia addresses the Ukrainian side with the initiative to swap prisoners daily. For instance, according to him, on April 5 during talks, an agreement was reached to exchange 251 servicemen which was later reduced to 38 and then rejected by the Ukrainian side without explanations.
The military official emphasized that the Russian side was fully prepared to exchange 251 Ukrainian servicemen, including their delivery to the designated area, until the Ukrainian side canceled the swap.