For the first time since 2022: A foreign cardinal was allowed to visit Ukrainian prisoners of war

Ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets announced the special envoy’s visit in a Telegram post. According to him, the defenders themselves confirmed that the foreign representative was granted physical access. In addition, representatives of the Russian Human Rights Commissioner have also begun visiting the Ukrainian prisoners.

Who is Matteo Zuppi?

Matteo Maria Zuppi is an Italian cardinal, Archbishop of Bologna, and president of the Italian Bishops’ Conference. He was born on October 11, 1955, in Rome, and was ordained a priest in 1981.

In 2015, Zuppi was appointed Archbishop of Bologna, and in 2019, Pope Francis elevated him to the rank of cardinal. Zuppi is known for his social activism and his work with the Community of Sant’Egidio, which is involved in peacekeeping initiatives.

In particular, he participated in negotiations that helped bring an end to the civil war in Mozambique in 1992. The cardinal also served as Pope Francis’s special envoy for humanitarian issues and peace efforts in connection with Russia’s war against Ukraine.

Details of the negotiations on exchanges

Another meeting was also held with Russian Human Rights Commissioner Yana Lantratova. The parties discussed further steps to return Ukrainian citizens home.

“Every exchange involves negotiations. And this is an opportunity to make progress on the return of our prisoners of war and civilians,”
– emphasized Dmytro Lubinets.

The Commissioner expressed hope that this momentum will continue, and that Ukraine will continue to do everything possible to free all citizens from Russian captivity.

Previously, Ukrainians released from captivity testified about torture and inhumane conditions were presented to the PACE and the OSCE.

As a reminder, another prisoner exchange took place on October 23. 270 defenders have returned home from Russian captivity, including defenders of Mariupol.