Ukraine denies prisoner swap with Russia
According to observers, if a prisoner exchange agreement with Russia can be reached, this will be a victory for Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
The office of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on August 30 denied that a prisoner exchange with Russia was underway and that discussions were still ongoing.
The statement came after Ukraine's Attorney General posted comments on Facebook saying that the prisoner exchange with Russia had been completed and that the sailors and filmmaker Sentsov were on their way back.
|
| Filmmaker Oleg Sentsov during a court hearing in Rostov-on-Don, Russia in 2015. Photo: Reuters |
Ukraine hopes to secure the release of dozens of prisoners, including 24 sailors captured by Russia in the Kerch Strait last year as well as filmmaker Oleg Sentsov.
“The discussion on the prisoner exchange is ongoing. Information that the exchange has been completed is not true,” the statement from the Office of the President of Ukraine said.
Russia's Interfax news agency also quoted a source in Moscow denying that a prisoner exchange with Kiev had taken place.
Russian news agencies such as TASS and Interfax also reported on August 29 that Russia had transferred Ukrainian filmmaker Sentsov from an Arctic prison to a Moscow prison while negotiations with Kiev on a prisoner exchange were taking place.
A court in Ukraine has also released a senior Russian journalist accused of supporting separatists in the country.
Reaching a prisoner swap would be a victory for Mr Zelenskiy, who became Ukraine's president a few months ago promising to end the conflict in the country's east.
Ukrainian troops have been fighting separatists in Donbass since 2014 – a conflict that has killed more than 13,000 people. Sporadic fighting continues despite a ceasefire.
Oleksandr Danylyuk, a top Ukrainian security official, said he hoped a prisoner exchange with Russia could take place on August 30./.
