The individuals supposedly involved in a planned exchange of captives between Ukraine and Russia are awaiting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's decree of pardon, and the legal formalization of their status is nearing completion, Valentyn Rybin, a lawyer for Russians held in Ukraine, told Interfax-Ukraine on Tuesday.

"The legal formalization of [the status] of those to be involved in an exchange procedure is nearing completion now, and nobody will be going anywhere before it is completed," Rybin said.

"We are awaiting a decree of presidential pardon," Rybin said.

Commenting on media reports suggesting that the exchange could take place on August 28-29, he said he could not make such forecasts and was unaware when this formalization procedure could be completed and when the exchange could be arranged.

Rybin said earlier that his clients Maxim Odintsov, Alexander Baranov, and Yevgeny Mefyodov, as well as other Russian citizens held in Ukraine, were being prepared to be exchanged for Ukrainian citizens held in Russia. He said later that these people would be formally pardoned before being freed.