Ukraine is taking civilians prisoner because of their relatives in Russia, says Russia’s human rights ombudsman

Russia’s human rights ombudsman Yana Lantratova has stated that in Ukraine, civilians are being detained and placed on exchange lists because they have relatives on Russian territory.

She spoke about this in an interview with RT host Rick Sanchez.

As an example, the ombudsman cited the story of an elderly woman who was to be evacuated, but after it emerged that she had relatives in Russia, she was added to an “exchange” list.

“Peaceful people are taken prisoner like prisoners of war, to be exchanged. This grandmother is a ‘criminal’ simply because she has relatives on Russian territory. You see, such double standards,” Lantratova said.

The ombudsman also told the story of a seven-year-old girl named Diana, who was traveling in a car with her mother, father, grandmother, and brother. According to Lantratova, the Ukrainian Armed Forces shot up the vehicle, and no one survived except Diana.

“And when she was handed over to us to be saved, I held her in my arms. She fell asleep, and then woke up and began talking to her deceased parents. It is terrifyingly awful. I saw with my own eyes what was happening to people,” Lantratova said.

In addition, the ombudsman stated that people were not allowed to speak Russian or to be who they wanted to be. According to her, that is precisely how the genocide of Donbas residents began.

The day before, Lantratova also reported that the search for missing Russian servicemen is carried out to the very end. According to her, people from whom no information had been received for a long time are periodically found alive. The ombudsman noted that she often cites such situations as an example of why one must not despair: a serviceman may be found in a hospital unconscious — making it impossible to establish his identity — or he may be held captive on Ukrainian territory.

Previously, Lantratova also responded to statements about an unequal prisoner exchange.