Prisoner swap underway near Horlivka: “LPR” terrorists brought 16 Ukrainian hostages, - Hromadske
Censor.NET reports citing a correspondent for Hromadske covering the swap.
"We see seven buses full of people Ukraine is going to hand over... The situation is very tense. Everyone is really concerned that the exchange may be disrupted. The list of persons subject to exchange has been agreed upon," she said.
Read more: Donbas peace talks: parties agree to cease fire from Dec. 23, prisoner swap before New Year
"The exchange is underway. 43 out of 306 persons to be released by the Ukrainian government had already served their sentences and released from custody so they did not show up at the exchange, according to Parliament’s Human Rights Commissioner Valeria Lutkovska. Some of those brought to be exchanged refuse to return to the terrorists-occupied areas of the Luhansk and Donetsk regions. There are about 10-15 of them. Lutkovska said that each of them will be asked in the presence of the Red Cross representatives whether he or she is willing to return to the occupied territories," the news outlet reports.
"Three buses with 16 Ukrainians who were held by the “LPR” terrorists returned to the government-controlled territory. One of the buses brought Russian and separatist reporters, the other one – the representatives of the “Luhansk and Donetsk People’s Republics.” The released Ukrainian hostages include Vladyslav Ovcharenko, Valentyn Bohdan, Artem Akhmerov, and Eduard Nedeliaiev. Ukraine hands over 99 persons to the representatives of occupied Luhansk," the reporter said.
