UAE wants help in possible Russian prisoner exchange

The Gulf State wants to help with a possible prisoner exchange, a law enforcement source told RIA Novosti.

Russian news agency RIA Novosti reported on Monday that the UAE has offered assistance in a potential prison exchange between Russia and Ukraine.

The report said that the proposals of the Emiratis are being considered as the lists of personnel slated for the swaps are finalized.

Both Russia and Ukraine claim to have captured scores of soldiers since Moscow launched its military campaign in the neighboring country in late February.

Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu said on 7 June that more than 6,500 Ukrainian fighters have been detained.

Ukrainian officials previously reported that 11 rounds of exchanges had taken place in which dozens of prisoners were swapped.

Russia and Ukraine have accused each other of atrocities and mistreatment of civilians and POWs.

Tatyana Moskalkova, Russia's top human rights official, expressed concerns this month about the treatment of Russian prisoners in Ukraine. She accused Kiev of holding Russian civilians hostage. She said that the International Red Cross had not provided any information about visits to check on the conditions the Russian POWs have been kept in.

Russia attacked the neighboring state after Ukraine failed to implement the terms of the Minsk agreements, first signed in 2014, and Moscow s eventual recognition of the Donbass republics of Donetsk and Lugansk. The German and French-brokered protocols were designed to give the breakaway regions special status within the Ukrainian state.

The Kremlin has since demanded that Ukraine officially declare itself a neutral country that will never join the US-led NATO military bloc. Kiev insists that the Russian offensive was unprovoked and has denied that it plans to retake the two republics by force.