“[Ukraine] continues to hinder the process of exchanging prisoners in every possible way and moves away from concrete and effective work, which has yielded results, opting instead for endless political performances,” the diplomat wrote on her Telegram channel on Tuesday.

According to the official, the Ukrainian authorities consider such a delay as a media tool to promote their interests, and the problem is that they are not getting their people back, she added.

Zakharova recalled that this year the Russian Ministry of Defense sent Ukraine proposals to hand over 935 Ukrainian prisoners of war as part of the exchanges. “However, the [Ukrainian] government refused to accept more than 600 of its military personnel for no good reason,” she said.

The list currently includes 630 Ukrainian prisoners of war, which Russia is ready to transfer to kiev on equal terms.

“Therefore, when it is said that Russia allegedly does not want to carry out exchanges and does not hand over its people to Ukraine, it is a lie. There are figures and facts,” the diplomat concluded.

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