In an interview with the "Nastoyastchee vremya" TV channel, quoted by Radio Svoboda, Yatsenko remarked:
"Discussions are ongoing, and work is underway. But in reality, Russia has effectively frozen exchanges since the summer. They are not happening at the same scale as before."
Yatsenko suggests that one possible reason for Russia's decision to halt these exchanges might be to dampen morale within Ukrainian society. He also claimed that Russia appears to have little interest in the welfare of its captured soldiers, treating them as mere expendable resources.
Despite the setback, Yatsenko emphasized Ukraine's readiness to proceed with prisoner exchanges to bring its defenders back home.
Meanwhile, Ukraine says the number of Russian POWs is rapidly growing, with Kyiv building new facilities for the captured soldiers. This, according to Ukrainian sources, is the result of evolving dynamics at the front, declining motivation among Russian troops, as well as Russia's suspension of prisoner exchanges.
(jh)
Source: PAP