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The self -proclaimed "Governor of Donetski" Pavel Gubarev was released in exchange for three three Alfa employees, captured earlier and held in Slavyansk. This was reported by "Interfax-Ukraine with reference to the press service of the SBU.

“We confirm that the fighters of the Alpha special forces captured previously were exchanged for Gubarev,” the press service said. Currently, Alfa fighters are in a safe place. The press service noted that the SBU is taking all measures to release all the hostages in captivity.

Moscow welcomes the release of Gubarev, said Russian President Vladimir Putin, RIA Novosti reports. "We welcome the liberation of Mr. Gubarev in Kyiv from prison, we are waiting for the liberation of all political prisoners," Putin said negotiations with Switzerland President Didier Burkhalter.

Earlier, the "People's Mayor" of Slavyansk Vyacheslav Ponomarev said that the three SBU employees were exchanged for three supporters of separatists, including Gubarev and Deputy Ponomarev Igor Perepenko. The name of the third exchange is not called.

Perepenko was detained at the Donetsk airport on April 28. He was returning from Moscow, where he performed on the air of one of the central television channels. He was charged under Part 1 of Article 258-3 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine (creation of a terrorist group or terrorist organization).

Gubarev was detained in Donetsk on March 6, after the police released the building of the regional administration that was captured the day before. The special forces found him in a conspiratorial apartment, where he was hiding from law enforcement agencies.

On March 7, the Shevchenkovsky District Court of Kyiv arrested Gubarev for two months. In his regard, criminal proceedings were launched under Part 1 of Article 109 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine (actions aimed at a violent change or overthrow of the constitutional system or the seizure of state power), part 2 of article 110 (an encroachment on the territorial integrity and inviolability of Ukraine) and Article 341 (seizure of state or public buildings or structures).

SBU employees were captured in Gorlovka on April 26. According to the SBU press center, they carried out a task to detain a citizen of Russia suspected of killing a deputy of the Gorlovsky city council Vladimir Rybak. The militants with weapons attacked SBU employees, prevented the assignment and captured them.

Earlier, the militants themselves declared the fact that three officers of the alpha special forces were taken by the SBU. A photo and video of people captured by militants appeared on the Internet. They were shown to journalists bloodied, without pants and blindfolded.

The leader of the separatists of Slavyansk Igor Streltsov declared their prisoners of war. "We will offer Kyiv to change them to our associates detained by the authorities," Streltsov said.