The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) has unanimously adopted a resolution urging the international community to support negotiations between Ukraine and Russia for the urgent exchange of prisoners of war based on the principle of "all for all".
The document emphasizes that 95% of released Ukrainian POWs have suffered from torture, sexual violence, or inhumane treatment by Russia.
This was reported by the Coordination Headquarters for POW Affairs.
PACE calls for immediate “all for all” exchange
The resolution adopted by PACE highlights the need to establish an international exchange mechanism involving the International Committee of the Red Cross and neutral countries. The release of all Ukrainian military personnel and civilians is defined as a priority.
The Assembly strongly condemned Russia's systematic violations of the Geneva Conventions. The resolution stresses that the situation of Ukrainian soldiers in captivity is critical and requires immediate action from the international community.
In particular, the Assembly demands that Russia:
- create specialized camps for prisoners with proper detention conditions, medical care, nutrition, and legal assistance;
- establish a Mixed Medical Commission to examine the wounded;
- launch an official Bureau of Information on POWs;
- allow immediate access for international humanitarian organizations to places of detention.
Additionally, PACE officially included Belarus in the list of countries that also hold Ukrainian prisoners of war, placing responsibility for their fate on it.
The Coordination Headquarters for POW Affairs thanked the Ukrainian delegation at PACE for their diligent work on this important document and for advocating key provisions important to Ukraine.
