Ukraine officially announces prisoner exchange with Russia
The exact number of people who will participate in the exchange has not yet been announced, but Ukrainian President Zelensky said that the procedure will be held in the format of 35 for 35 or 42 for 40.
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| Ukrainian National Guard soldiers detain reporter Kyrylo Vyshynsky of Russia's RIA Novosti news agency. Source: AFP |
Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky announced that from the night of September 7, a prisoner exchange between Kiev and Moscow will begin.
The exact number of people who will participate in the exchange has not yet been announced, but Mr Zelensky said the procedure would be held in a 35-for-35 or 42-for-40 format.
According to the Ukrainian leader, all prisoners in this exchange were transferred to the exchange points before 6 p.m. on September 6.
Earlier, Mr. Zelensky signed amnesty orders for 12 Russian citizens convicted and serving sentences in Ukraine.
The only exception is Ruslan Gadzhiev, who is being held in strict confinement without parole. A Ukrainian court sentenced him to 15 years in prison, and Kiev seems unwilling to release him.
Interfax news agency quoted Ukrainian lawyer Valentin Rybin, a person familiar with the deal, as saying that it could not be ruled out that this situation could complicate the upcoming deal.
Gadzhiev was a participant in the war in Donbass, serving in the August regiment in Lugansk, and was captured in a battle in January 2015./.
