Translated material
A prisoner exchange was carried out in Donbass
Participants in the conflict in eastern Ukraine exchanged prisoners. The Ukrainian authorities released 222 people, the separatists - 150 people. The exchange took place on neutral territory.
The Security Service of Ukraine confirmed this information. This was reported by an SBU officer who was present during the exchange.
Today's operation was the first stage of the exchange of prisoners in the "all for all" format, which was previously announced by the leadership of the DPR.
- An agreement on the exchange of prisoners was reached at the Minsk meeting of the contact group on the settlement of the conflict in Donbass. Contact group talks began on 24 December. They are attended by former President of Ukraine Leonid Kuchma, Russian Ambassador to Ukraine Mikhail Zurabov, DPR representative Denis Pushilin and LPR representative Vladislav Deinego, as well as an OSCE delegation led by Swiss diplomat Heidi Tagliavini.
- Before the start of negotiations, Tagliavini said that the meeting would discuss a ceasefire in the conflict zone, the withdrawal of heavy equipment from the line of contact, the exchange of prisoners and the delivery of humanitarian aid to the Donbass. Representatives of the DPR and LPR promised that they would seek to include the issue of the special status of Donetsk and Lugansk regions on the agenda of negotiations.
- The exchange of prisoners is the first result of new negotiations in Minsk to date.