Chief Turkish Ombudsman confirms transfer to Russia of lists of missing persons, seriously injured POWs – Lubinets
Chief Ombudsman of Türkiye Mehmet Akarca confirmed the transfer to Russia of lists of missing persons, as well as seriously ill and seriously injured prisoners of war (POWs), which were handed over to him by Ukrainian families a month ago, said Commissioner for Human Rights of the Verkhovna Rada Dmytro Lubinets following the results of an online meeting with his Turkish counterpart.
"Today, an online meeting took place at our Office between me, Chief Ombudsman of Türkiye Mehmet Akarca, and coordinators of families of Ukrainian defenders," Lubinets wrote on his Telegram channel on Tuesday.
According to him, the main topic of discussion remains the fate of prisoners of war, persons missing under special circumstances, and unlawfully detained civilians. "I also received clear confirmation from the Chief Ombudsman of Türkiye that the lists of missing persons, as well as seriously ill and severely wounded prisoners of war, which Ukrainian families had handed over to him a month ago during a meeting in Türkiye, were transmitted to Russia," Lubinets reported.
"Next steps: We agreed to establish a permanent communication channel between our institutions. I proposed organizing the delivery of letters from families by Mehmet Akarca to the Russian side for Ukrainian prisoners of war, with the possibility of receiving mandatory responses," Lubinets added.
According to him, separate lists will again be prepared and transmitted, including: persons missing under special circumstances—for verification; seriously ill and severely wounded prisoners of war—for repatriation; as well as convicted military personnel, prisoners of war held the longest, and unlawfully detained Ukrainian civilians.
"We will be ready for any dialogue that allows us to protect the rights of our citizens and contributes to their swift return from Russian territory. I also invited Mr. Mehmet to visit Ukraine," Lubinets added.
He emphasized that Türkiye remains one of the few platforms where humanitarian issues are genuinely advanced, including in negotiations with Russia. "Therefore, together with the coordinators of the families of defenders, I sincerely thank Mr. Mehmet and the Turkish side for their concern and active support of this process," Lubinets wrote.
