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Ukraine, rebels exchange 67 prisoners
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IN the early hours of yesterday morning, Ukrainian troops and Russian-backed rebel forces exchanged 67 prisoners who had been captured during fighting in eastern Ukraine, part of a cease-fire deal that has struggled to succeed.
The transfer took place in the dark outside the main rebel stronghold of Donetsk under the watch of international observers.
Thirty-six Ukrainian servicemen were released after negotiations, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko said.
Ukrainian forces handed over 31 pro-Russia rebels detained over the five-month conflict.
The cease-fire took effect a week ago but has been routinely violated. Shortly after the exchange, a volley of rocket fire was heard in Donetsk.
The Ukrainian servicemen were driven from the rebel headquarters about 1:30am and taken several miles north of Donetsk, where they were met by Ukrainian officials.
The two sets of captives were brought out wearing handcuffs, which were removed as they were handed over. One representative from each side checked each prisoner against a list and crossed out their name as they were freed.
“There is an ongoing process of talks. We are meeting each other’s demands and fulfilling our vows,” said Yuriy Tandit, a government negotiator.
Darya Morozova, who is overseeing the exchange for the separatists, said she thinks about 1,200 rebels and their supporters are being held by Ukrainian authorities. The rebels are holding several hundred Ukrainian troops, but when asked for an exact figure, she said only it was “up to 1,000.”
Morozova said the rebel prisoners had been poorly treated and some had not been fed. Another transfer of is expected in the next three days, she said.
Some of the separatists who were freed yesterday were Russian citizens. One of them, Simon Veridya from Moscow, said he was captured in Kramatorsk, which was retaken by government forces in July.
“They shot at our ambulance. There were five of us, including two women. We were taken to custody in Kramatorsk” at the airport, Veridya said.
“I was beaten and have two broken ribs,” he said.
The conflict between Russia-backed rebels and the Ukrainian government has been raging since mid-April, claiming more than 3,000 lives.
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