In the Ukraine conflict, the signs are still on relaxation: The Ukrainian President Volodymyr Selenkski confirmed a prisoner exchange with the pro-Russian separatists planned for today. “An exchange should take place tomorrow. We are waiting for it, ”said Selenski yesterday.
A representative of the self-proclaimed Donetsk Republic had previously said that the rebels and government in Kiev had agreed on an extensive exchange of prisoners on December 29. The separatists are said to release 55 prisoners and in return 87 prisoners will be handed over.
Exchange near the front line
According to Russian media reports, the exchange will take place near the front line, which runs along the Donetsk and Luhansk areas controlled by the separatists. The representative of the Organization for Security and Cooperation (OSCE), the top Austrian diplomat Martin Sajdik, confirmed the preparations for an exchange of prisoners. There were apparently still discussions about which prisoners should be released individually.
The first major prisoner exchange in the conflict that had been smoldering since 2014 had taken place in early September. At that time, Ukraine and Russia exchanged 35 prisoners each. In November, Russia returned three naval vessels to Ukraine, which the Russian coast guard had confiscated on the Kerch Strait a year earlier.
