PACE calls on Russia to agree to ‘all for all’ POW exchange
The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) adopted a resolution calling to support negotiations between Ukraine and Russia for a full prisoner exchange in the "all for all" format, the organization wrote on its website on June 24.
"The situation of Ukrainian prisoners of war is particularly dire: they are subjected to extrajudicial executions, widespread and systematic torture, as well as inhuman and degrading treatment, which amounts to war crimes and crimes against humanity," the document wrote.
These conditions require urgent intervention from the international community, primarily to ensure humane treatment, mutual release, and repatriation of all prisoners of war, the document continues.
PACE emphasizes that political negotiations on prisoner exchanges must be a top priority.
"Russia's highest political and military leadership is aware of the brutal treatment of Ukrainian prisoners of war, including threats, verbal and physical abuse, sexual violence, torture, and extrajudicial executions," the resolution added.
As of February 2025, the UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine had confirmed the execution of 79 Ukrainian prisoners of war and recorded the deaths of at least 21 others while in Russian custody.
On June 20, 19, 14, 12, 10, and 9, Ukraine and Russia conducted prisoner exchanges. Ukraine received back seriously ill and wounded defenders, soldiers under 25, and some who had previously been listed as missing in action.
Andrii Yusov, a representative of Ukraine’s Defense Intelligence and deputy head of the Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War, noted that the number of individuals returned from Russian captivity is not disclosed, as any public comments could affect the negotiation process.
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