Only a few of Russian military convicted for war crimes committed in Ukraine underwent the procedure of prisoner exchange, while those charged with especially serious crimes against civilian are not subject to prisoner swap, Head of the Department for Combating Crimes Committed during the Armed Conflict of the Prosecutor General's Office (PGO) Yuriy Belousov has said.

In an exclusive interview with the Interfax-Ukraine News Agency, he said that there are no regulated standards for places of detention of Russian military after the verdict is announced.

"It depends on the situation: some [prisoners] stay in the camp [for prisoners of war] which is in fact a detention facility as well," Belousov said.

When asked whether convicted Russian military can be exchanged, he said: "Yes, they can. It is worth understanding the procedure of exchange. It is a very complicated topic but there are no restrictions for exchanging a convicted person."

"Of course, there should be certain balance here. On the one hand, Ukraine has obligations to the injured persons, the victims. People expect a just punishment for the culprits. On the other hand, we have obligations to our citizens who were taken into enemy captivity. So, complicated decisions are made," Belousov said.

At the same time, he stressed that "we have a position: of a person committed especially serious crimes, then he or she must serve the sentence in Ukraine and is not subject to prisoner swap. That is how our red lines look like. Otherwise, if we exchange everyone, what will stop them from committing war crimes?"

While specifying how many convicts have been swapped, Belousov said that "it is about a few persons and not dozens of people."

When it comes to war crimes, as a rule, it is about Russian citizens, and Ukrainian citizens from separate districts of Luhansk and Donetsk regions are also taken prisoner and their actions fall under the high treason article.

"Thus, a Russian citizens who did not commit a war crime does not fall under criminal prosecution at all. A Ukrainian from the 'LPR' or 'DPR' [the so-called 'Luhansk People's Republic' and 'Donetsk People's Republic'] who did not commit a war crime are charged with high treason. There can be verdicts and exchange as well," he said.

"If it is about murders, sexual assault, tortures, then they [the convicts] will serve their sentences in Ukraine," he said.

When asked how many military occupiers remain in captivity in Ukraine today, Belousov said that "it is about hundreds. It is worth noting that we do not have civilian captives, while they [the Russian side] captivate our civilians."