Ukraine still hands Kremlin opponents back to Russia, rights defender says

A human rights defender has stated that Ukraine never stopped the practice of handing opponents of the Kremlin back to Russia, and that this continues to happen as part of Ukraine's own prisoner exchanges with Russia. According to the statement, this pattern persists even under current wartime conditions, when Ukraine and Russia periodically carry out exchanges of prisoners and detained individuals.

The human rights defender pointed out that among the people returned to Russia through these exchanges are individuals who could be considered opponents of Kremlin policy. In their view, this practice raises concern, since sending such people back to Russia may expose them to additional risk once inside Russian territory.

An ongoing pattern

According to the statement, this is not a new or isolated occurrence but rather a practice that has continued over time and remains ongoing. The human rights defender emphasized that this situation persists regardless of the broader circumstances surrounding the exchange process between the two sides.

No specific numbers, names, or dates were provided regarding how many people have been handed over to Russia or under what particular circumstances. The statement appears intended to draw public attention to this practice within the wider context of the war, during which prisoner exchanges between the two countries continue to take place regularly.