State Duma lawmaker Yana Lantratova was elected as Russia’s next human rights commissioner on Thursday, a choice that could potentially complicate future prisoner exchanges with Ukraine given accusations that she has been involved in the alleged forced transfer of Ukrainian children.
Lantratova, a member of the center-left party A Just Russia, secured 301 votes in the 450-seat State Duma, defeating candidates from the Communist and Liberal Democratic parties.
She succeeds Tatiana Moskalkova, a former senior police official whose second five-year term expires this month. Human rights commissioners can serve a maximum of two terms.
While a staunch Kremlin loyalist, Moskalkova was one of the few Russian officials to maintain a direct line of communication with Ukrainian officials after the 2022 invasion, which allowed her to help facilitate the exchange of Ukrainian and Russian prisoners of war.
Currently under U.S. and EU sanctions, Lantratova is accused of playing a key role in the alleged systematic transfer of children from occupied Ukrainian territories to Russia.
