Russia Proposes Swap for 31 Civilians from Kursk Region Detained in Ukraine

Russia and Ukraine have shared a list of 31 civilians each side is holding, indicating a potential exchange, as reported by Russia’s Human Rights Commissioner Tatyana Moskalkova on Monday.

Moskalkova stated that Ukraine is still detaining 31 individuals from Russia’s Kursk region, which was temporarily occupied by Ukrainian forces during a cross-border operation last August.

As per the state-owned news agency TASS, Moskalkova mentioned that she had provided Kyiv with the names of the Kursk civilians and, in return, received a list of 31 Ukrainian civilians to facilitate an “unconditional mutual repatriation.”

“We have coordinated with [Ukrainian human rights commissioner] Dmytro Lubinets to have discussions this week to set a firm date [for the exchange],” she reportedly stated.

There has been no immediate response from Ukraine regarding the negotiations for a potential exchange.

Moskalkova has alleged that Ukrainian military forces forcibly transported over 1,000 residents of Kursk before Russian forces reestablished control over the area earlier this year.

Families of missing individuals in Kursk previously estimated that around 3,000 people were trapped in the occupied territories. Initially, authorities reported 500 missing, but later revised the count to over 1,100.

Moskalkova’s declaration followed a recent incident where Russia and Ukraine each exchanged 84 prisoners. Both nations have conducted a series of substantial swaps since direct peace negotiations took place in Istanbul during May and June.