Ukraine and Russia agree to exchange prisoners.
On July 18, a senior Ukrainian official said that Ukraine and Russia had agreed on a prisoner exchange deal, expected to involve a total of 277 people captured in the conflict in eastern Ukraine.
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| The prisoners were handed over to the Ukrainian side. Photo: Facebook |
Speaking to reporters, Roman Bezsmertny said that Kyiv hopes to exchange 208 people currently serving prison sentences for 69 Ukrainians.
Mr. Bezsmertny represents Ukraine in the working group on political issues of the Trilateral Contact Group, an organization established to facilitate a diplomatic solution to the conflict. Mr. Bezsmertny did not provide information on the exact timing of the exchange, but preparations could take several months.
Earlier, Vadym Prystaiko, a senior official in the President's Office and a candidate for the position of Ukrainian Foreign Minister, said that Kyiv and Moscow had agreed that the prisoner exchange would take place next month.
Fighting between Ukrainian forces and separatist forces in eastern Ukraine has been ongoing since 2014, resulting in over 13,000 deaths. Currently, sporadic clashes continue despite a ceasefire agreement reached between the two sides.
In the most recent prisoner exchange in December 2017, Ukraine handed over approximately 300 prisoners to separatist forces in the east and received 70 in return. However, subsequent disagreements have prevented further exchanges.
Moscow is still holding dozens of Ukrainian prisoners, but it is unclear how many Russians are being detained.
