Ukrainian ombudsman explains approach to Russian counterpart amid ongoing prisoner and recruitment concerns

Ukrainian Human Rights Commissioner Dmytro Lubinets explained that during his initial meeting with Russian ombudsman Yana Lantratova, he prioritized establishing contact for concrete results over discussing her alleged involvement in the deportation of Ukrainian children from Kherson. This comes as a human rights expert, Boris Zakharov, underscored the need for prisoner and civilian detainee releases to be a prerequisite for negotiations, following Ukraine's recent repatriation of 186 citizens, including only one civilian. Separately, Ukrainian law enforcement, led by National Police head Ivan Vyhivskyi, has documented six instances this year where Russian special services allegedly recruited underage girls for contract killings of Ukrainian military personnel. The International Criminal Court's Chief Prosecutor, Karim Khan, remains suspended pending a harassment investigation, a decision his legal team deemed "unlawful." Allegations also persist regarding Rosatom employees' involvement in the occupation of the Chornobyl nuclear power plant, following a reported Russian drone attack on a nuclear waste storage facility in the Chornobyl zone on June 7, 2026.

Sources: Громадське, Радіо Свобода, Українська правда