Ukraine wants to swap prisoners with Russia in exchange for female pilot Savchenko

Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko said he was ready to swap prisoners with Russia in exchange for the freedom of female pilot Nadiya Savchenko.

Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko said yesterday (March 9) that he is willing to exchange prisoners with Russia in exchange for the freedom of Ukrainian female pilot Nadiya Savchenko who is being held and tried in Russia.

Speaking at a joint press conference with Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan while visiting Türkiye, Mr. Poroshenko emphasized that a prisoner exchange agreement with Russia is a completely possible possibility.

Savchenko in a Russian prison - Photo: openrussia.org

Previously, Ukrainian President Poroshenko also sent a letter to Russian President Vladimir Putin asking Russian authorities to release female pilot Savchenko. However, a Russian court rejected the release request.

AirwomanSavchenkois on trial in the Donetsk city court in Russia's Rostov region after being arrested in mid-2014. The female pilot is accused of informing on a Ukrainian military mortar attack that killed two Russian journalists working in eastern Ukraine.

Savchenko could face up to 25 years in prison. To protest her arrest, the 35-year-old pilot went on a hunger strike for more than 80 days.

The incident has made the already tense relationship between Russia and Ukraine even more tense./.

According to VOV