Verkhovna Rada Ombudswoman for Human Rights Liudmyla Denisova has said representatives of certain occupied regions of Donetsk and Luhansk regions are deliberately dragging out negotiations for the transfer of convicts serving their sentence in non-government controlled areas who seek transfer to prisons controlled by Ukraine's government.

"The occupying authorities are deliberately hampering the process of negotiations on the transfer of convicts. Their so-called 'ombudspersons' demand Ukraine's president personally confirm the powers of Viacheslav Petlyovany, who was appointed to be my contact for the talks. The coordinator of the humanitarian subgroup at the Minsk talks [Ambassador] Toni Frisch was repeatedly informed about this decision," Denisova wrote on her Facebook page on Monday.

She also noted that Petlyovany repeatedly discussed and sent letters to the head of the UN Monitoring Mission for Human Rights Fiona Fraser about the transfer of convicted persons from the territory of Ukraine that is not controlled by the government.

Denisova said representatives of Donbass-SOS NGO Nataliya Melnyk and Anatoly Yagin told her that they, as the case with Denisova, receive statements from the convicts who are in places of deprivation of liberty in the territory of the uncontrolled territories in Donbas, as well as from their relatives who ask to relocate them to the government-controlled territory to serve out their sentences.

Denisova said she hopes the situation will change after next meeting of the Trilateral Contact Group (TCG) scheduled for August 22.

"We are waiting for August 22 for the next TCG meeting in Minsk," she wrote.

"We continue to cooperate with all who can help to return our children to the territory controlled by Ukraine's government," she said.