rferl--2019-09-07--Russian-Ukrainian Prisoner Swap Said Under Way

Russian-Ukrainian Prisoner Swap Said 'Under Way'

Multiple reports say that buses that arrived at Moscow's Vnukovo Airport after leaving Lefortovo prison were carrying individuals for a major prisoner swap with Ukraine.  Russian state TV carried images of the buses traveling through Moscow with a police escort.  A plane with Ukrainian government markings has also landed at Vnukovo.  Nikolai Polozov, a lawyer who heads the defense team for 24 Ukrainian sailors captured last year by Russia near the Kerch Strait and presumed to be included in any eventual swap, said on Facebook, "Now we can say the process is under way."  Neither government has announced the final conclusion of terms for a swap, which Russian President Vladimir Putin suggested earlier this week was on the brink of agreement.  A prisoner exchange could help build trust and confidence between Moscow and Kyiv and possibly open the door to other negotiations as a five-year war between Ukrainian forces and Russia-backed separatists grinds on in eastern Ukraine.  AFP quoted Polozov as saying of the Ukrainian sailors that "according to my information, they were put on a bus. All 24 of them."  He said he expected the sailors to arrive in Ukraine "in the next few hours."  There is no word on the identities of other prisoners possibly involved in the exchange.  Observers are waiting to see if any swap includes a number of other high-profile prisoners, which some reports have suggested could include around 70 individuals.  Possible prisoners in Russia include Ukrainian filmmaker Oleh Sentsov, who was convicted by a court on terrorism charges after Russia's invasion of Crimea in 2014, accusations that he and rights groups say are ridiculous.  Reports have also speculated that an exchange could include Russian RIA Novosti journalist Kirill Vyshinsky, whom Ukraine freed on his own recognizance in late August pending treason charges.  Another person included in speculation about possible handover to Russia is Ukrainian national Volodymyr Tsemakh, a "person of interest" to investigators into the downing of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17, which killed 298 people in 2014.  Tsemakh reportedly commanded a separatist air-defense unit at the time of the MH17 disaster, and 40 members of the European Parliament this week had urged Ukraine not to include him in any exchange.  The letter said Tsemakh was a “key suspect” in the shooting down of MH17.  In Kyiv, relatives of some Ukrainians being held in Russia came to the office of the parliamentary representative for human rights, Lyudmila Denisova, early on September 7, according to the Crimea Desk of RFE/RL Ukrainian Service.  The sailors have been held in Moscow since their capture, along with their ship, after Russian Coast Guard forces fired on them as they tried to sail through the Kerch Strait that connects the Sea of Azov with the Black Sea.  Russia took effective control of the strait after its illegal annexation of Crimea in 2014, threatening to block off Ukrainian ports from access to the Black Sea.  The International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea in May ordered Russia to release the sailors.


rferl--2019-09-08--Putin Macron Say Ukraine-Russia Prisoner Swap Gives Momentum For Peace Talks

Putin, Macron Say Ukraine-Russia Prisoner Swap Gives Momentum For Peace Talks

French President Emmanuel Macron and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin say a prisoner swap between Kyiv and Moscow has given momentum to talks on resolving the conflict in eastern Ukraine.  The two leaders spoke by phone on September 8, the offices of both presidents said, touching on a broad range of security topics, including Iran, a day before a meeting of the Franco-Russian Council in Moscow.  Russia and Ukraine exchanged a total of 70 prisoners on September 7 in a move praised by the West as an opportunity to improve tense relations between Kyiv and Moscow.  "The two presidents confirmed that the current momentum will allow for the holding, in the next few weeks, of a summit under the Normandy format in Paris," the French presidency said in a statement.  The Kremlin added: "The sides discussed prospects for the resolution of the Ukrainian conflict and stressed that the Minsk Package of Measures has no alternatives as a basis for the conflict settlement. They reiterated mutual commitment to continue constructive joint work within the Normandy format."  More than 13,000 people have been killed in eastern Ukraine after Russia-backed separatists took up arms against government forces in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions in April 2014.  After being elected in April this year, Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskiy called for a four-way meeting with fellow Normandy format participants Russia, Germany, and France to revive peace talks with Putin.  The exchange is the first major prisoner swap between the two countries since 2017.  Macron and Putin also discussed Iran and keeping in place a 2015 deal that gave Iran access to world trade, including the sale of oil, in exchange for curbs on its nuclear program.  The so-called Joint Comprehensive Plan Of Action (JCPOA) between Iran and world powers including China, Britain, France, Germany, and Russia has been unravelling since the United States abandoned the accord last year.  "The sides discussed in detail the situation around the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action on the Iranian nuclear program. Vladimir Putin and Emmanuel Macron spoke for consolidation of efforts of all the parties concerned to save the JCPOA and observe it in full. They also exchanged information about Russia’s and France’s steps on that track," the Kremlin said.  Tehran has insisted for years that, despite Western accusations and indications of previous covert military aims, its nuclear ambitions are merely civilian.  Iranian President Hassan Rohani warned earlier this week that Tehran is on the verge of taking steps away from the 2015 accord that "will have extraordinary effects."  In response, European powers called on Iran to avoid any action that contravenes its commitments to the deal.


rferl--2019-11-15--Touted Afghan Prisoner Swap Fails To Happen, But It's Unclear Why

The fate of a deal to exchange three Taliban prisoners held in Afghanistan for two Western hostages the militant group is holding remained unclear, three days after Afghan President Ashraf Ghani announced the plan.      The deal was seen by the Afghan government as a key move in securing direct talks with the Taliban, which has so far refused to engage with what it calls a "puppet" regime in Kabul.      But Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said on November 15 that the three Taliban prisoners to be freed did not show up at an exchange site that had been agreed upon and were still in custody.      They were to be exchanged for two professors of the American University of Afghanistan in Kabul who were abducted in August 2016: U.S. citizen Kevin King and Australian Timothy Weeks.      Mujahid said the Taliban was still holding King, 60, and Weeks, 48.      The reasons for the delay were not clear.      Speaking on November 14 at the U.S. Institute of Peace in Washington, Afghan first lady Rula Ghani said: "It didn’t work.”      “I'm not quite sure why, but probably some party did not do what they promised they were going to do. And so unfortunately, the two professors might not be released," she added.      Reuters quoted an Afghan government official as saying the swap had been postponed, without elaborating.      The agency also cited Taliban sources as saying the three Taliban prisoners were due to be flown to Qatar but were returned to the jail in Bagram, outside Kabul.      They “will be sent to Qatar under U.S. supervision,” an unnamed Afghan official told RFE/RL.      The three Taliban prisoners to be released included Anas Haqqani -- the younger brother of Sirajjuddin Haqqani, the leader of the Haqqani network – and two other prominent militants: Hafiz Rashid Omari and Haji Milli Khan, officials said.      The U.S. ambassador to Kabul, John Bass, initially welcomed Ghani's announcement, but officials have given no further information since.      The Haqqani network, known for carrying out brutal attacks in Afghanistan, is part of the Taliban group.      It is believed to be based in Pakistan.  With reporting by AP, Reuters, dpa, and AFP


rferl--2019-11-17--Afghanistan Blames Taliban For Delay In High-Profile Prisoner Swap

Kabul has blamed the Taliban for a delay in the exchange of three extremist prisoners held in Afghanistan for two Western hostages that the militant group has been holding.      Afghan President Ashraf Ghani's office on November 16 said the Taliban prisoners "are still being held by the Afghan government."      "The inability of the Taliban to meet the conditions has delayed the exchange process," spokesman Sediq Sediqqi wrote on Twitter, adding that the Afghan government will review the situation and make decisions based "on the country's best interests."      The Western-backed Afghan government did not immediately give specifics on what conditions it believes the Taliban had not met.      Ghani had announced the deal on November 12, saying the Taliban prisoners held at Bagram prison would be "conditionally" released.      The deal was seen by the Afghan government as a key move in securing direct talks with the Taliban, which has so far refused to engage with what it calls a "puppet" regime in Kabul.      The United States has been holding a series of negotiations with Taliban representatives in Qatar over recent years in an attempt to end the 18-year war.      But Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid on November 15 said the Taliban prisoners to be freed did not show up at an exchange site that had been agreed upon and were still in custody.      Mujahid on November 15 told VOA the deal had been suspended and that it was up to U.S. officials to explain what happened.      "As per the deal with the Americans, our prisoners were to be taken to the mutually agreed safe location and freed there. We would have then released and handed the American [and his colleague] over to them," Mujahid said in a Pashto-language audio message sent to VOA.      The United States did not immediately comment.      The Taliban prisoners were to be swapped for two professors of the American University of Afghanistan in Kabul who had been abducted by gunmen wearing military uniforms in August 2016, U.S. citizen Kevin King and Australian Timothy Weeks.      Mujahid said the Taliban was still holding King, 60, and Weeks, 48.      The Taliban prisoners to be released were Anas Haqqani -- the younger brother of Sirajjuddin Haqqani, the leader of the Haqqani network -- and two other prominent militants, Hafiz Rashid Omari and Haji Milli Khan, officials said.      The Haqqani network, known for carrying out brutal attacks in Afghanistan, is part of the Taliban group and is believed to be based in Pakistan.  With reporting by VOA, AFP, AP, Reuters, and dpa


rferl--2019-12-09--Ukraine, Russia Agree On Full Cease-Fire, 'All For All' Prisoner Swap By End Of 2019

Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy on December 9 agreed to “commit to a full and comprehensive implementation” of a cease-fire in eastern Ukraine by the end of 2019, a joint communique says.      Following more than eight hours of talks between the leaders of France, Germany, Ukraine, and Russia in Paris designed to revive a road map for achieving peace in the Donbas war between Ukrainian and Kremlin-backed forces, the sides agreed to aim for an “an all for all” prisoner exchange by the end of the year.      "The sides commit to a full and comprehensive implementation of the ceasefire, strengthened by the implementation of all necessary ceasefire support measures, before the end of the year 2019," the communique said.      Three additional “disengagement areas” will be sought with the “aim of disengaging forces and equipment by the end of March 2020," the document reads.      Before the talks in Paris, Ukrainian and Moscow-backed military forces had earlier withdrawn from three flash points along the front line in eastern Ukraine where a war is in its sixth year and which has killed more than 13,000 people.      “Yes, we can speak of a thaw in relations,” Putin said at a news conference after the talks.      Speaking at the same news conference after midnight local time, Zelesnkiy said “it was good to unblock dialogue.”      He added that the issue of gas transit had also been “unblocked” regarding Ukraine’s 10-year contract with Russia that expires at the end of the year.      However, Putin and Zelenskiy, who met for the first time face-to-face, had failed to resolve crucial issues such as a timeline for local elections in eastern Ukraine and the borders in the region that Kyiv doesn’t control.      Efforts would revive to remove mines in the war zone, the communique stated.      German Chancellor Angela Merkel emphasized the need to expand the mandate for monitors from the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE).      The communique reinforced the OSCE’s right to have “access throughout Ukraine” while Merkel promoted the idea of having the group’s monitors observe “24 hours a day, seven days a week.”      Within 30 days, support should be given to have additional “new crossing points” for civilians along the front line, the document reads.      Additionally, leaders of the four countries agreed to meet in the same format “within four months" to discuss "political and security conditions" concerning the conduct of local elections in eastern Ukraine.      Still, Zelenskiy said he regretted that very little had been achieved during talks to end the Donbas conflict.  "Many questions were tackled, and my counterparts have said it is a very good result for a first meeting. But I will be honest -- it is very little, I wanted to resolve a larger number of problems," he said.      The last time the leaders of France, Germany, Russia, and Ukraine met to discuss the conflict was in October 2016.


rferl--2019-12-23--OSCE Says Ukraine Prisoner Swap Agreed 'By End Of Year'

Special OSCE representative in Ukraine Martin Sajdik has announced that a trilateral forum on the ongoing war in eastern Ukraine has "reached an agreement on a mutual release and exchange of conflict-related detainees by the end of the year."  It would be the second major prisoner exchange in four months in the five-year-old conflict between Ukrainian government forces and Russia-backed separatists in Ukraine's Donbas region.  Sajdik said in a statement on the OSCE website on December 23 that the breakthrough came during a video conference of the so-called Trilateral Contact Group -- comprising Russian, Ukrainian, and OSCE representatives -- with the participation of separatist groups that hold swaths of territory in Donetsk and Luhansk.  TASS had quoted Russia's envoy to the group, Boris Gryzlov, as saying earlier on December 23 that the deal had been done between Kyiv and the Donetsk and Luhansk groups, with Russian and OSCE mediation. But he provided no details.  Kyiv and the West accuse Russia of arming and aiding the separatists, but Moscow insists it is not a party to the conflict, which followed shortly after Russia occupied then annexed Crimea from Ukraine in March 2014.  On September 7, Russia and Ukraine exchanged a total of 70 prisoners in a move praised by the West as an opportunity to improve tense relations between Kyiv and Moscow. It was the first such exchange in two years.  Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov then told reporters on October 4 that "certain work is being done in [the] direction" of a prisoner exchange with Ukraine.  Leaders of the so-called Normandy Four -- France, Germany, Ukraine, and Russia -- emerged from extensive peace talks in Paris on December 9 saying they had agreed to aim for an "an all-for-all" prisoner exchange by the end of the year.  Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said at the time that the prisoner swap would take place on December 24.  Russian President Vladimir Putin and Zelenskiy also reportedly agreed on December 9 to "commit to a full and comprehensive implementation" of a cease-fire in eastern Ukraine by the end of December.  The war in eastern Ukraine has killed more than 13,000 people since April 2014.


rferl--2019-12-28--Zelenskiy Says Ukrainian Prisoner Swap 'Supposed To' Happen On December 29

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has said that while a prisoner swap is "supposed to" take place on December 29, the list of individuals to be handed over between central Ukrainian authorities and Russia-backed separatists has not been finalized.  The notion of an "all-for-all" prisoner exchange gained momentum during peace talks in Paris on December 9 among the so-called Normandy Four -- Ukraine, Russia, France, and Germany -- trying to bring an end to the five-year conflict.  "There is supposed to be an exchange [of prisoners] tomorrow," Zelenskiy told journalists during a visit to Ukraine's Ivano-Frankivsk region for a bridge opening on December 28, according to his official website.  "We look forward to this. The verification of all people is not completed yet,” Zelenskiy added.  He went on to call it the year's most difficult task.  The UNIAN news agency quoted a representative of Donetsk separatists as saying that Kyiv was expected to release 87 people and the separatists 55.  But there was no official confirmation of any figures.  There are no definitive, publicly available lists of the prisoners that each side is holding.  This would be the second major prisoner exchange involving Ukrainians caught up in the conflict in four months.  In the last one, Russia and Ukraine traded a total of 70 prisoners in a move that many regarded as progress in efforts to deescalate a war that has killed more than 13,000 people since Moscow forcibly annexed Crimea and Russia-backed gunmen grabbed swaths of eastern Ukraine, including parts of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions, in 2014.  Russia insists it is not a party to the conflict, despite significant evidence that includes communication with separatist leaders, captured Russians, and Russian casualties in the fighting.  A special representative in Ukraine for the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) that has monitors in eastern Ukraine and has mediated talks among the parties announced on December 23 that negotiators had "reached an agreement on a mutual release and exchange of conflict-related detainees by the end of the year."  Zelenskiy won the presidency as a political outsider in April pledging to seek an end to the conflict -- which Kyiv and the West blame squarely on Russia -- and clean up rampant corruption for post-Soviet Ukraine's 42 million citizens.  With reporting by AP and UNIAN


rferl--2019-12-29--Ukraine, Russia-Backed Separatists Begin Prisoner Swap

KYIV -- Ukrainian authorities and Russia-backed separatists in eastern Ukraine have started a prisoner swap, the office of Ukraine's president said on December 29.      "At the Mayorske checkpoint the process of releasing detained persons has begun," the official Twitter account of the Ukrainian president said, while posting several photos of buses, ambulances, and armed soldiers.  "The swap has started,” Darya Morozova, the so-called ombudsman of a Russia-backed separatist group that calls itself the Donetsk People's Republic was quoted as saying earlier by Russian news agencies.      The Ukrainian side is expected to hand over 87 people, while the separatists are set to swap 55, the UNIAN news agency quoted a representative of the separatist group as saying.  If completed, it would be the second major prisoner exchange involving Ukrainians caught up in the conflict in four months.  The exchange is expected to take place near the village of Horlivka near Mayorske, some 35 kilometers north of Donetsk, media reports say.  The notion of an "all-for-all" prisoner exchange gained momentum during peace talks in Paris on December 9 among the so-called Normandy Four -- Ukraine, Russia, France, and Germany -- trying to bring an end to the five-year conflict.      In the last one, Russia and Ukraine traded a total of 70 prisoners in a move that many regarded as progress in efforts to deescalate a war that has killed more than 13,000 people since Moscow forcibly annexed Crimea and Russia-backed gunmen grabbed swaths of eastern Ukraine including parts of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions in 2014.      Russia insists it is not a party to the conflict, despite significant evidence that includes communication with separatist leaders, captured Russians, and Russian casualties in the fighting.  The move is not without controversy in Kyiv.      According to AFP, the government is expected to hand over to the separatists several riot police officers suspected of killing protesters during a pro-Western uprising in 2014.      Families of the victims of the riot police wrote on Facebook in an open letter to Zelenskiy, warning that the release of the men could lead to a "wave of protests."      "We would like to inform you that these people are neither participants nor victims of the conflict in eastern Ukraine," they wrote.      The conflict in the region known as the Donbas is one of the biggest challenges facing Zelenskiy, who campaigned on a vow to end the conflict. He was inaugurated on May 20.      The United States and European Union have imposed sanctions on Russia for its support of the separatists in eastern Ukraine and for the seizure and annexation of Ukraine’s Crimea region.  With reporting by Reuters, AFP and Interfax


sottnet--2019-12-24--Ukraine - Donetsk & Luhansk prisoner swap to be agreed by 'end of the year' - OSCE

Special OSCE representative in Ukraine Martin Sajdik has announced that a trilateral forum on the ongoing war in eastern Ukraine has "reached an agreement on a mutual release and exchange of conflict-related detainees by the end of the year."between Ukrainian government forces and Russia-backed separatists in Ukraine's Donbas region.Sajdik said in a statement on the OSCE website on December 23 thatTASS had quoted Russia's envoy to the group, Boris Gryzlov, as saying earlier on December 23 that the deal had been done between Kyiv and the Donetsk and Luhansk groups, with Russian and OSCE mediation. But he provided no details.Kyiv and the West accuse Russia of arming and aiding the separatists, but Moscow insists it is not a party to the conflict, which followed shortly after Russia occupied then annexed Crimea from Ukraine in March 2014.Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov then told reporters on October 4 that "certain work is being done in [the] direction" of a prisoner exchange with Ukraine.Leaders of the so-called Normandy Four -- France, Germany, Ukraine, and Russia -- emerged from extensive peace talks in Paris on December 9 saying they had agreed to aim for an "an all-for-all" prisoner exchange by the end of the year.Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said at the time that the prisoner swap would take place on December 24.Russian President Vladimir Putin and Zelenskiy also reportedly agreed on December 9 to "commit to a full and comprehensive implementation" of a cease-fire in eastern Ukraine by the end of December.The war in eastern Ukraine has killed more than 13,000 people since April 2014.


sottnet--2019-12-28--Zelensky says prisoner swap supposed to happen tomorrow, Dec. 29

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has said that while a prisoner swap is "supposed to" take place on December 29,The notion of an "all-for-all" prisoner exchange gained momentum during peace talks in Paris on December 9 among the so-called Normandy Four -- Ukraine, Russia, France, and Germany -- trying to bring an end to the five-year conflict."There is supposed to be an exchange [of prisoners] tomorrow," Zelenskiy told journalists during a visit to Ukraine's Ivano-Frankivsk region for a bridge opening on December 28, according to his official website. "We look forward to this. The verification of all people is not completed yet," Zelenskiy added.The UNIAN news agency quoted a representative of Donetsk separatists as saying thatBut there was no official confirmation of any figures.There are no definitive, publicly available lists of the prisoners that each side is holding.This would be the second major prisoner exchange involving Ukrainians caught up in the conflict in four months.In the last one, Russia and Ukraine traded a total of 70 prisoners in a move that many regarded as progress in efforts to deescalate a war that has killed more than 13,000 people since Moscow forcibly annexed Crimea and Russia-backed gunmen grabbed swaths of eastern Ukraine, including parts of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions, in 2014.Russia insists it is not a party to the conflict, despite significant evidence that includes communication with separatist leaders, captured Russians, and Russian casualties in the fighting.A special representative in Ukraine for the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) that has monitors in eastern Ukraine and has mediated talks among the parties announced on December 23 that negotiators had "reached an agreement on a mutual release and exchange of conflict-related detainees by the end of the year."Zelenskiy won the presidency as a political outsider in April pledging to seek an end to the conflict -- which Kyiv and the West blame squarely on Russia -- and clean up rampant corruption for post-Soviet Ukraine's 42 million citizens.


tass--2019-03-23--All for all prisoner swap in Donbass might be arranged in 5 days Ukrainian politician

‘All for all’ prisoner swap in Donbass might be arranged in 5 days — Ukrainian politician

### Servicemen seen during an exchange of war prisoners between the Ukrainian government and the Donetsk People's Republic (DPR) on December 27, 2017  © Valery Matytsin/TASS  KIEV, March 23. /TASS/. An ‘all for all’ prisoner exchange might take place in a short period of time, given the Ukrainian side has political will, Chairman of the Opposition Platform - For Life party Viktor Medvedchuk said on the Ukrainian TV channel NewsOne.  "Should Ukraine have political will, we will be able to carry out that [‘all for all’] exchange in three, four or maximum five days," he said.  Medvedchuk added that Ukrainian President Pyotr Poroshenko should make a decision.  "We need a political resource here which the head of state utilizes," the politician went on to say. "None of the swaps has been held without Poroshenko. He makes the decision in Kiev, while the so-called leaders of the unrecognized territories do so in Donetsk and Lugansk."  The politician recalled that 870 people have been released since 2014.  The all-for-all prisoner exchange is one of the key provisions of the Minsk peace deal signed in the Belarusian capital Minsk on February 12, 2015, after marathon talks between the leaders of Russia, Germany, France and Ukraine.  Since then the sides have carried out several swaps, and the largest so far took place in December 2017. Kiev handed over 233 prisoners to the Donbass republics and received 73 in return. Both parties stressed that the prisoner exchange process had not been completed and they were determined to do everything possible to continue it in 2018. However, since then, the sides have reached no agreements on prisoner swaps.  Boris Gryzlov, Russia’s envoy to the Minsk talks of the Contact Group seeking peace for eastern Ukraine, places responsibility for the disruption of prisoner swaps between the conflicting sides on Kiev.  In other media


tass--2019-07-18--Russia Ukraine disagree on interpretation of all for all prisoner swap Kremlin

Russia, Ukraine disagree on interpretation of 'all for all' prisoner swap — Kremlin

ST. PETERSBURG, July 18. /TASS/. Russia and Ukraine have disagreements in interpreting the "all for all" prisoner swap mechanism, but in general Moscow supports it, Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters on Thursday. He thus commented on remarks by Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky who said that Russian leader Vladimir Putin supported the "all for all" exchange mechanism in a phone call last week.  "The perfect ‘all for all’ formula was indeed mentioned during the telephone conversation. It was said that it would be desirable to eventually come to that formula. At the same time, it was specified that Russia and Ukraine interpreted the word ‘all’ in a different way. That’s why experts will have to harmonize these interpretations, and then the implementation [of that mechanism] will be more feasible," Peskov concluded.


tass--2019-08-21--Kiev not ready to discuss prisoner swap at todays meeting in Minsk DPR

Kiev not ready to discuss prisoner swap at today’s meeting in Minsk — DPR

MINSK, August 21. /TASS/. Kiev was not ready to discuss the prisoner swap issue at the meeting of the Contact Group for the settlement in eastern Ukraine, Human Rights Commissioner of the Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR) Daria Morozova reported on Wednesday.  "Unfortunately, Kiev's interim envoy was present at today’s meeting, who was not ready to hold the subgroup’s session and was unable to present the necessary information on the stage of the procedural decisions," the statement published on Morozova's official website informs. "For the same reason, we were unable to discuss other items on the agenda."  "I would like to recall that we’re not just talking about numbers 102 and 50 — each number is a living person who was given hope for the upcoming exchange. These people have families — children, spouses, parents — who also hope to reunite with their loved ones soon. This is why I urge not to dash their hopes and to follow the agreements reached earlier," Morozova added.  The last large-scale exchange of detainees between Ukraine and Donbass took place in December 2017. Back then, Kiev exchanged 233 prisoners for 73 detained Ukrainian citizens. The parties underlined that the release of prisoners was not over and they would make every effort to continue this process. However, since then, the parties were failing to reach new agreements on mutual release and exchange of prisoners.  The deadlock was broken at a meeting of the Contact Group for the settlement in Ukraine on July 17, when the parties in the conflict coordinated the prisoner swap procedure, agreeing to exchange 208 representatives of the DPR and LPR for 69 Ukrainian military. Fifty of them are held by the Donetsk People's Republic (DPR), and another 19 — by the self-proclaimed Lugansk People’s Republic (LPR). It is expected that the procedural measures aimed to exchange the prisoners would take up to six weeks.


tass--2019-08-28--Russian-Ukrainian prisoner swap put off attorney says

Russian-Ukrainian prisoner swap put off, attorney says

KIEV, August 28. /TASS/. The Russian-Ukrainian prisoner exchange has been put off indefinitely, Valentin Rybin, the defense attorney of several Russian nationals convicted in Ukraine, informed TASS.  "The prisoner swap has been put off. There is no pardon decree yet. There is every likelihood that there are certain forces in Vladimir Zelensky’s office that want to derail the exchange," he said.  Rybin earlier said that the date for the prisoner swap had been agreed on, declining to provide more details. At the same time, the attorney who represents the interests of Russian citizens Maxim Odintsov, Alexander Baranov and Yevgeny Mefedov noted that the final lists of individuals who were expected to be exchanged "were not approved yet, and everything could change." He assured, however, that Mefedov, Odintsov and Baranov remained on the list.  Last week, Director of the Russian Center for Current Politics Alexei Chesnakov said that Moscow and Kiev could soon hold the next prisoner exchange that would include the Ukrainian sailors arrested following the Kerch Strait incident.  Russian Human Rights Commissioner Tatyana Moskalkova travelled to Kiev on Friday. However, the agenda of her visit remains unknown.


tass--2019-08-30--No final date yet for Moscow-Kiev prisoner swap says Ukraines Security Service

No final date yet for Moscow-Kiev prisoner swap, says Ukraine’s Security Service

KIEV, August 30. /TASS/. The Ukrainian Security Service (SBU) has said that the next prisoner exchange between Kiev and Moscow would not take place on Friday, and its final date was not yet determined.  Issue of Russian-Ukrainian prisoner swap can be resolved on Friday, says lawyer  Commenting on reports that the exchange could take place in Kiev’s Zhuliany airport any moment, she noted: "We do not give any specific dates. I can say, however, that it will not take place today. There is no final date yet."  Gitlyanskaya earlier cautioned reporters from disseminating unverified information, saying that the complicated negotiation process continued.  Later on, the Ukrainian president’s office likewise refuted media reports, which asserted that the exchange of detainees between Kiev and Moscow had come to an end, stressing that the negotiation process was ongoing.


tass--2019-08-30--Talks on prisoner swap continue Ukraines Security Service says

Talks on prisoner swap continue, Ukraine’s Security Service says

KIEV, August 30. /TASS/. Negotiations on the next prisoner swap between Russia and Ukraine continue, Yelena Gitlyanskaya, the Spokesperson for the Ukrainian Security Service (SBU), has said.  "Dear reporters, the complicated negotiation process on the prisoner exchange continues. Arm yourselves with patience. I hope it won't take long. Do not disseminate unverified information. Let’s keep our fingers crossed!" she wrote on her Facebook page.  Some Ukrainian media outlets earlier reported that the next prisoner swap would take place on Friday, while Ukrainian nationals serving prison sentences in Russia were expected to arrive in Kiev’s airport later in the day.  However, Defense Attorney Valentin Rybin who represents the interests of some Russian nationals held in Ukraine informed TASS that his clients who were getting ready for the exchange remained in prison.


tass--2019-09-04--Kremlin not planning to announce date of Ukraine-Russia prisoner swap

No progress on Russia-Ukraine prisoner exchange so far, attorney says  VLADIVOSTOK, September 4. /TASS/. The Kremlin is not going to announce the date of a prisoner swap between Russia and Ukraine because this issue is sensitive, Russian Presidential Spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Wednesday.  "This issue is sensitive. There cannot be any announcements here. The fact will become known," Peskov told TASS, answering a question whether the swap could be carried out by the end of this week.  The talks on holding a prisoner swap between Russia and Ukraine are ongoing. A number of legal procedures need to be carried out, Russian Human Rights Commissioner Tatyana Moskalkova said on Monday.


tass--2019-09-05--Russian-Ukrainian prisoner swap can take place in coming days says politician

Russian-Ukrainian prisoner swap can take place in coming days, says politician

VLADIVOSTOK, September 5. /TASS/. The next prisoner exchange between Russia and Ukraine could take place within the next few days, Viktor Medvedchuk, Head of the Political Council of Ukraine’s Opposition Platform - For Life party, said on Thursday.  "The exchange is due to take place in the coming days. This is a very positive moment," he told reporters on the sidelines of the Eastern Economic Forum (EEF).  According to Medvedchuk, the negotiations on the issue are proceeding smoothly.


tass--2019-09-07--US embassy in Moscow hails Russian-Ukrainian prisoner swap

MOSCOW, September 7. /TASS/. The US embassy in Moscow has welcomed the news of the Saturday prisoner swap between Moscow and Kiev, Spokesperson for US embassy Andrea Kalan said.  "We welcome the news of a prisoner exchange and are encouraged to see signs of a more robust dialogue and lowering of tensions between #Russia and #Ukraine," the diplomat wrote on Twitter.  On Saturday afternoon, a plane of the special flight unit Rossiya landed at Moscow’s Vnukovo airport, carrying Russian nationals released in a prisoner swap with Ukraine. A Ukrainian aircraft touched down at Kiev airport at approximately the same time. Russia’s Human Rights Commissioner Tatiana Moskalkova said that the prisoner swap was carried out in conformity with the ‘35 for 35’ principle.


tass--2019-12-16--Ukrainian top diplomat hopes for new Donbass prisoner swap by end of 2019

Kiev hopes to agree on three or four "humanitarian areas" of disengaging forces, the minister said  KIEV, December 16. /TASS/. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Vadim Pristayko has expressed hope that the Contact Group for the settlement in eastern Ukraine would be able to approve another prisoner swap and ceasefire by the end of 2019. "There are three main events set to take place before the end of the year, which will help us see whether we can expect progress. Firstly, this includes the "all approved for all approved" prisoner swap, however, we have to take into account that we must implement the "all for all" formula. Secondly, it includes a comprehensive, permanent and stable ceasefire. It will be announced on December 20 or 21," he said on Monday in an interview with the UNIAN news agency.  The minister added that "another important event" might take place this week. "On our request, the Red Cross will attempt to cross the line [of contact] and take part in the investigation into the whereabouts of, according to different estimations, nearly 500 people that are reported missing," Pristayko said. According to the foreign minister, Ukraine expects to coordinate three or four disengagement areas, which will be vital in terms of the humanitarian situation. "We believe that at this stage disengagement should be carried out at those areas, which are of high humanitarian importance. This is a priority at these three or four areas, or whichever we manage to agree on," Pristaiko told Ukraine’s UNIAN news agency. Ukraine hopes to achieve agreement on these disengagement areas as soon as possible. "Even the next meeting [on December 18] would suit us," the minister commented.  Pristaiko went on to say that Ukraine is ready to integrate the "Steinmeier formula" into the law on a special procedure for local self-governance in the Donetsk and Lugansk regions. "We are ready to take this step [implement the "Steinmeier formula" — TASS] by integrating it into Ukraine’s legislation. There is every likelihood that it will be integrated into the special status law," he told Ukraine’s UNIAN news agency. To implement the formula, Ukraine needs to pass a law [on local elections in the Donbass region], which doesn’t exist yet, Pristaiko continued. "The ‘Steinmeier formula’ has become a compromise to some extent, but it cannot resolve all issues. Here we need everyone’s good will, including our partners who should certify the elections and say that the elections have indeed been held. <…> The ‘Steinmeier formula’ will finally work if all elements are in place," he concluded. The Minsk Agreements need to be adjusted, however, so far, there is no need for their complete overhaul, Vadim Pristayko stated.  "They [the Minsk Agreements] are actually unrealistic, at least because they have terminological and chronological faults. For example, the dates have long passed. At the very least, we can consider their adjustment. Let’s say, changing the dates. An adjustment of a certain configuration of the Minsk Agreements is also possible. So far, neither Ukraine, nor Russia nor the international community are ready for a complete overhaul of the Minsk Agreements," Pristayko told the UNIAN news agency. The participants in the Normandy Four summit held in Paris on December 9 approved a communique. One of its paragraphs is dedicated to the political part of the peaceful settlement of the conflict in Donbass and the mechanism for implementing the relevant provisions of the Minsk Agreements. The issue at hand is, in particular, the need to provide a legislative framework for a special procedure for local self-governance of separate districts of the Donetsk and Lugansk regions. The participants in the summit also highlighted the need to include the "Steinmeier formula" in Ukraine’s legislation in the form that was agreed on by the Normandy Four and the Contact Group. In late 2015, the then German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier put forward a plan that later became known as the "Steinmeier Formula." The plan stipulates that special status be granted to Donbass in accordance with the Minsk Agreements. In particular, the document envisages that Ukraine’s special law on local self-governance will take effect in certain areas of the Donetsk and Lugansk regions on a temporary basis on the day of local elections, becoming permanent after the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) issues a report on the vote’s results.


tass--2019-12-29--Prisoner swap in Donbass seen as step to implementation of Minsk accords, says envoy

MOSCOW, December 29. /TASS/. Sunday’s prisoner exchange between Ukraine and the self-proclaimed republics in Donbass is seen as another step towards the implementation of the Minsk agreements, Russia’s chief negotiator at the Donbass conflict settlement talks, Boris Gryzlov, said.  "Today’s event is a step towards further implementation of the entire package of humanitarian and political measures committed to paper in the Minsk agreements," he said. "We hope that now Kiev will be able to proceed to the implementation of its political commitments and agree, within the Contact Group, all the legal aspects of Donbass’ special status, including its enshrining in the constitution."  Gryzlov also stressed that Kiev had undertaken not to prosecute the people it had released.  The Russian chief negotiator hailed the fact that the sides had demonstrated political will to carry out the exchange by the yearend as had been agreed at the Contact Group videoconference on December 23. "I would like to stress that under that agreement the parties to the Ukrainian internal conflict have undertaken to complete the pardoning procedures and not to prosecute people they release. Kiev guaranteed "procedural clearance" for those of them who have not yet been sentenced by court," he noted.  "And I would like to thank all who has made his or her contribution to helping people return to their homes," he added.  Kiev and the Donbass republics exchanged prisoners earlier on Sunday. The swap was carried put near the Mayorskoye checkpoint. According to preliminary data, Ukraine released 124 people and the Donbass republics handed over to Kiev 76 people.


theguardianuk--2019-11-19--Taliban free US and Australian hostages in prisoner swap

The Taliban have released an American and an Australian held hostage since 2016 in exchange for three prominent members of the militant group who were released by the Afghanistan government and flown to Qatar the previous day.  Australian Timothy Weeks, 50, and Kevin King, 63, an American, were released in southern Zabul province, ending their more than three years in captivity. The prisoner swap was supposed to have taken place last week but was aborted for reasons that are still unclear.  The release of the two westerners, who were teachers at Kabul’s American University of Afghanistan, was confirmed on Tuesday by Taliban officials and by Imran Khan, the prime minister of Pakistan, who said his government helped to facilitate the exchange.  The three released Taliban prisoners include Anas Haqqani, the younger brother of the militant group’s deputy, Sirajuddin Haqqani, who is also head of the hardline Haqqani network.  The Afghan president, Ashraf Ghani, announced the “conditional release” of the Taliban figures at a press event broadcast live on state television last week. He said it was a hard decision but one he felt compelled to make in the interest of the Afghan people.  The swap had been expected to take place within hours of Ghani’s announcement but diplomats soon flagged a problem and after two days, a Taliban spokesman said the group had yet to receive its prisoners. The reasons for the delay – and for the apparent resumption of the deal on Tuesday – are unclear.  Weeks, from the New South Wales town of Wagga Wagga, and King, from Pennsylvania, were abducted at gunpoint from a car in August 2016. They were seized outside the American University in Kabul where they both worked as teachers.  US Navy Seals conducted a raid to free them days later, descending on a militant hideout in the mountains of eastern Afghanistan, but the men had been moved hours earlier, according to reports.  The pair appeared looking gaunt and weathered in a video released in January 2017 begging their parents to ask the US government to negotiate for their release.  They appeared in a second video later that year, setting a June 2017 deadline for their release, in which Weeks pleaded with then-Australian prime minister Malcolm Turnbull to negotiate for his release.  Both men said they were being treated well by the Taliban but that they would remain prisoners and unless their governments could negotiate their freedom. It is unknown whether the men had been forced to speak.  The Taliban released a statement in October of that year claiming King was suffering from a “dangerous heart and kidney disease”.  “We have tried to treat him from time to time, but we do not have medical facilities as we are in a war situation,” the Taliban statement said.  A Taliban commander in eastern Afghanistan previously told the Guardian the group considered teachers at the American University of Afghanistan dangerous as they “change the minds of society”.  Imran Khan said Pakistan welcomed the release of the men and hoped it would give “a boost of confidence to all parties involved to re-engage in the peace process”.  The American University of Afghanistan said in a statement it “shares the relief of the families of Kevin and Timothy, and we look forward to providing all the support we can to Kevin and Tim and their families”.  Southern Zabul province, where the two professors were freed, is heavily controlled by the Taliban and vast parts of it have long been a no-go area for the government.  According to the Taliban, an unofficial ceasefire is being observed in three districts of the province – Shahjoy, Shahmatzo and Naw Bahar – possibly to facilitate the release of the two hostages.  The Haqqani group predates the Taliban but has become integrated into its structure, and is suspected of having carried out some of the most brutal and indiscriminate attacks over the course of the nearly two decades of war that have followed the 2001 US-led invasion.  Besides a statement in 2017 that the Australian government was “working to secure the release of an Australian man in Afghanistan”, very little has been publicly said, and no public campaigns by the family or otherwise have been made regarding their cases.  The US secretary of state, Mike Pompeo, and the US national security adviser, Robert O’Brien, made separate calls to Ghani on Monday to discuss the prisoners’ release, Ghani’s spokesman, Sediq Sediqqi, said.  The release and swap were intended to try to restart talks to end Afghanistan’s 18-year war and allow for the eventual withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan.  The US had been close to an agreement with the Taliban in September but a fresh wave of violence in the Afghan capital in which a US soldier died brought talks and any impending deal to a halt.  The agreement was to call for direct talks between the Taliban and Afghan government as well as other prominent Afghans to find a negotiated end to the war and to set out a roadmap for a peaceful post-conflict Afghanistan.  Associated Press contributed to this report

Ben Doherty in Sydney and Michael Safi in Amman


themoscowtimes--2019-07-18--Ukraine Agrees Prisoner Swap With Pro-Russian Separatists

Ukraine and Russia have agreed a prisoner swap expected to involve a total of 277 people taken captive in the conflict in eastern Ukraine, a senior Ukrainian official said on Thursday. Roman Bezsmertny said Kiev expected to exchange 208 people serving jail sentences in Ukraine for 69 Ukrainians. "The most important — an agreement was reached on the start of exchange procedure of prisoners of war, illegally held, convicted persons in the ratio of 208 to 69," he said.  Bezsmertny represents Ukraine in the working group on political issues of the Trilateral Contact Group, a body that aims to facilitate a diplomatic resolution to the conflict. The accord was concluded in the Belarus capital Minsk following talks in the trilateral group, whose other members are Russia and the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe, a European security body tasked with monitoring a 2015 ceasefire agreement. Bezsmertny gave no exact date for the exchange but said the preparatory procedures could take up to several months.  Vadym Prystaiko, a senior presidential official and the nominee for the post of Ukrainian foreign minister, this week said Ukraine and Russia agreed that this exchange could take place over the next month. Kiev's forces have been battling pro-Russian separatists in the Donbass region of eastern Ukraine since 2014, in a conflict that has claimed more than 13,000 lives. Sporadic fighting continues despite the ceasefire agreement. In the last prisoner exchange, conducted in December 2017, Ukraine handed over about 300 captives to pro-Russian separatists and took back around 70, but disagreements have prevented any further swaps since then. Russia still holds dozens of Ukrainian captives from the conflict but it is unclear how many Russians are being held in Ukraine.


thetelegraph--2019-12-29--Ukraine and pro-Russian separatists exchange 200 in all-for-all prisoner swap

Ukrainian forces and Russia-backed rebels in eastern Ukraine on Sunday exchanged 200 prisoners in a move aimed at ending their five-year war.  The swap at a checkpoint near the rebel-held city of Horlivka was part of an agreement brokered this month at a summit of the leaders of Ukraine, Russia, Germany and France.  According to figures from officials of the Donetsk and Luhansk People's republics _ the two separatist governments in the rebel area _ Ukraine turned over 124 people and the separatists freed 76.  Those released by Ukraine included five former members of the now-disbanded special police force Berkut who were charged in the killing of protesters in Kyiv in 2014, Ukrainian news site Hromadske quoted their lawyer, Igor Varfolomeyev, as saying.  The Security Service of Ukraine said the 76 freed by the rebels included 12 servicemen, two of whom had been held since 2015 after being ambushed while escorting a convoy of wounded out of the battle of Debaltseve, which destroyed much of the city.


unian--2019-08-30--Ukraine NSDC secretary arrives at Kyiv Airport comments reports on prisoner swap

Ukraine NSDC secretary arrives at Kyiv Airport, comments reports on prisoner swap

Asked whether there the exchange will be completed today, Danyliuk said: "We hope so."  Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council, Oleksandr Danyliuk, arrived at the Kyiv Zhuliany Airport, where journalists are awaiting the return of Ukrainians who some reports say are being released from Russian prisons.  When asked if there is information that prisoners of war and political prisoners will arrive in Ukraine today, Danyliuk said: "I won't comment on this issue. We will comment on it when this happens. Let's wait for the fact itself. This is a very important question," Hromadske reports.  To clarify the question whether there will be an exchange of prisoners between Ukraine and Russia held today, he replied: "We hope."  Read alsoPrisoner swap: Ukrainian political prisoners, POW sailors on their way home – media  Danyliuk’s visit to the airport is not connected with the exchange of prisoners – the NSDC secretary is flyng to Poland to meet with his counterpart.  As UNIAN reported earlier, the newly elected Prosecutor General of Ukraine, Ruslan Riaboshapka, reported, citing a Verkhovna Rada staffer, that the exchange of prisoners with Russia took place and Ukrainian political prisoners, including Sentsov, Balukh, Hryb, as well as POW sailors, are returning to Ukraine.


unian--2019-09-07--Prisoner swap Two Ukrainian planes landed in Moscow

Prisoner swap: Two Ukrainian planes landed in Moscow

Two airplanes with the national symbols of Ukraine have landed at Moscow's Vnukovo Airport.  It is expected they will deliver Ukrainian prisoners of war to Ukraine, Deutsche Welle's Ukrainian service reports.  As UNIAN reported earlier, Russian government plane No. RSD092 landed at Ukraine's Boryspil International Airport.


unian--2019-09-07--Ukraine-Russia prisoner swap kicks off lawyer

Ukraine-Russia prisoner swap kicks off – lawyer

Polozov also confirmed to Russia's Interfax news outlet that the sailors had left a Moscow-based Lefortovo pre-trial detention center.  Coordinator of a group of lawyers for 24 Ukrainian sailors Nikolay Polozov has said the prisoner swap between Ukraine and Russian kicked off.  Read alsoUkraine-Russia prisoner swap may take place on Sept 7 – Russian media  "The defense team of the Ukrainian prisoners of war did not comment on unverified rumors and assumptions regarding their release. Now we can say the process has begun," he wrote on Facebook.  Polozov also confirmed to Russia's Interfax news outlet that the sailors had left a Moscow-based Lefortovo pre-trial detention center.  "According to my data, the sailors have already left the detention center. I believe they were taken to the airport for extradition to Ukraine," he said.  Earlier, an UNIAN correspondent in Russia said buses with tinted windows accompanied by police had left the territory of the detention center. Presumably, they were heading to Moscow's Vnukovo-2 Airport, where the government terminal is located.


sputnik--2019-01-23--ICRC Sends Staff to Yemen Readies for Prisoner Exchanges - Regional Chief

ICRC Sends Staff to Yemen, Readies for Prisoner Exchanges - Regional Chief

"We have increased our personnel in Yemen, flying in 15 delegates dedicated to the operation. We are rehabilitating the locations where detainees will be gathered before being transported to the airport. We, together with the Yemen Red Crescent Society, are preparing to provide medical assistance to detainees in need. And we are preparing two planes, each with a capacity of 200 passengers, to shuttle detainees between Sana’a and Sayoun", ICRC regional director for the Near and Middle East Fabrizio Carboni said in a statement.  Carboni added that the ICRC hoped to see progress on the prisoner swap between the two warring sides in Yemen in the next few days.  Prisoner exchanges fall within the framework of an agreement reached in Sweden after the most recent round of consultations on Yemen’s peace settlement peace process took place in mid-December. Other humanitarian measures agreed during the consultations included the maintenance of a ceasefire in Yemen’s port city of Al Hodeidah.


themoscowtimes--2019-11-28--Russia, Ukraine Reach 2nd Prisoner Exchange Deal – RBC

Russia and Ukraine swapped 35 prisoners each in September, a move that appeared to presage a thaw in relations that have been frozen since Moscow annexed Crimea in 2014. Kiev and Moscow said afterward that the sides were working on a fresh prisoner swap ahead of a four-way peace summit on the eastern Ukraine conflict set for Dec. 9.  Ukraine and Russia have reached the final stages of an all-for-all prisoner exchange agreement ahead of a key peace summit next month, the RBC news website reported Thursday.  Ukraine is ready to hand over 250 prisoners in exchange for 100 prisoners held by pro-Russian rebels in eastern Ukraine, RBC cited four unnamed sources familiar with the negotiations as saying.  “The lists have already been agreed and approved,” one of the sources was quoted as saying. “The legal stage is coming to an end.”  The new prisoner swap could be adopted when the leaders of France, Germany, Russia and Ukraine meet in Paris on Dec. 9, a source close to the Ukrainian president told RBC. Still, the source close to Volodymyr Zelenskiy and an unnamed negotiator cautioned that the exchange depends on the outcome of the four-way summit.  The Sept. 7 exchange included Ukrainian filmmaker Oleg Sentsov, the 24 Ukrainian sailors captured by Russia in the Kerch Strait, potential MH17 crash witness Vladimir Tsemakh and Russian journalist Kirill Vyshinsky.  The conflict between pro-Russian rebels and Ukrainian troops in the Donbass has killed 14,000 people since it broke out in 2014, according to the United Nations.


tass--2019-10-31--Turkey, Russia discuss release of Syrian war prisoners — top brass

"We are holding talks with the Russian side regarding the handover of 18 detained servicemen of the regime [Syrian government army — TASS]. Two of them were injured, they have received medical aid," the NTV channel quotes the minister as saying. Akar also said that the military command "informed President [of Turkey Recep Tayyip] Erdogan on the situation and received the corresponding orders."  MOSCOW, October 31. /TASS/. The Turkish and Russian military are discussing the release of 18 Syrian war prisoners captured in the northern part of the country by military formations supporting Ankara, Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar stated on Thursday.  On October 29, the Al Arabiya TV channel informed, citing Kurdish sources, that units of the Syrian opposition had captured Syrian soldiers in the Tell-Tamer settlement in northeastern Syria, where clashes between the Turkish forces and the Syrian army took place.  On October 9, Turkey launched a military incursion into northern Syria, codenaming it Operation Peace Spring, with the Turkish Armed Forces and the Ankara-backed Free Syrian Army carrying it out. Erdogan’s military campaign kicked off with airstrikes on the positions of the previously US-backed Kurdish units. The Erdogan government claimed that its goal is to clear the border area of what it calls ‘terrorists’ (Turkey’s broad label of the Kurdish forces) and establish a 30 km-long buffer zone in Syria’s north, where over 3 million Syrian refugees in Turkey would resettle. Ankara’s incursion into Syria has triggered an outcry in the region and across the world. The Syrian SANA news agency branded the operation as an act of aggression, while the international community condemned Erdogan’s military operation.  On October 22, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan signed a memorandum on joint actions in northeastern Syria. According to the document, as of noon October 23, Russian military police and Syrian border guards started to monitor the withdrawal of Kurdish military formations to the depth of 30 km from the border. Russia and Turkey will then begin the joint patrolling of the area. On the outcomes of the agreement, Ankara stated that it had suspended its large-scale military operation in the area. However, Turkey retains control over the territories where it plans to relocate Syrian refugees in the future.  The deadline for the Kurdish forces to withdraw expired on October 29, 18:00 local time. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan stated on Wednesday that Turkey and Russia would begin joint patrolling in northeastern Syria on Friday.


eveningstandard--2019-09-07--Landmark prisoner exchange between Ukraine and Russia under way

A widely-anticipated exchange of prisoners between Russia and Ukraine is under way, according to reports.  Buses from a Moscow prison believed to be carrying Ukrainian prisoners arrived at the capital's Vnukovo airport on Saturday.  A prisoner exchange could be a significant step toward easing Russia-Ukraine relations and raising chances for resolving the conflict in Ukraine's east where fighting between troops and Russia-backed separatists has killed more than 13,000 people since 2014.  Russian lawyer Mark Feigin, who defended a Ukrainian imprisoned for spying, tweeted to say that the exchange is underway.  He said that the prisoners from the Russian side include 24 Ukrainian sailors who were seized by Russia in November.  Mr Feigin also said they include Ukrainian journalist Roman Sushchenko, who he has represented, and filmmaker Oleg Sentsov, convicted of plotting terrorist acts.  Planes from each country have arrived at each other's capitals to collect inmates, flightradar data showed and Interfax reported.  Ukranian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who was elected in April, has previously said his top priority was to end the conflict with Russia.  While officials in Russia have said the prisoner exchange is vital for improving the "atmosphere surrounding a settlement of the Ukrainian crisis".


fortruss--2019-12-29--BREAKING: Prisoner Exchange sees Raphael Lusvarghi freed from Ukrainian Prison

KIEV – A prisoner swap covering captives taken by both sides over the past two years took place earlier today. It involved the Donestk and Lugansk People’s Republics (the DPR and the LPR) and the Kiev based government.  Circulating reports indicate that Kiev handed over 60 people to the DPR, while the DPR released 52 persons. The LPR released 25 persons, and Kiev handed over 63 persons to the LPR. Kiev, the LPR and the DPR said their list could be longer, as some people asked to be repatriated shortly before the exchange.  Among the released was Rafael Lusvarghi, a volunteer that has the Brazilian citizenship, who was handed over by Kiev to the LPR. In 2014, Lusvarghi joined LPR self-defense forces and participated in repelling the aggression of the Kiev regime against the peaceful population of eastern Ukraine.  Interestingly in his case, he had made his way back home, only to pass through Kiev voluntarily while en route to another assignment. He had been informed that the meeting point would be in Kiev, and given the assignment was not related to the Ukraine conflict, his employer reported they had assurances on his safe passage. The entire matter was revealed as a sting operation meant to lure Lusvarghi to Kiev, where he was arrested.  The prisoner swap is said to be an important step that signals some progress in the de-escalation of the conflict.


france24--2019-12-30--Prisoner swap deal seen as 'real attack on credibility of Ukraine justice system'

The deal that led to an exchange of prisoners on Sunday between Ukraine and Russia-backed separatists in the country’s war-torn east – swapping detained fighters for civilians and soldiers – has spurred public outrage in some quarters.  Among those handed over to the separatists as part of the swap, Kiev included five riot policemen suspected of killing protesters during a pro-Western uprising in 2014.  The release of the riot police has raised concerns in Ukraine, with many fearing the country is being pushed to pay too high a price for the detainee exchange.  The men are suspected of having been involved in the bloody crackdown on protesters in the Ukrainian capital in 2014. Some 100 demonstrators were shot dead during the uprising.  “They are just the five who the Ukrainian justice system had managed to detain. At least 26 others were wanted and they were suspected of having fled to either Crimea or to Russia, and Russia was refusing to extradite them and to cooperate with Ukrainian justice in any way,” FRANCE 24’s Gulliver Cragg reports from Kiev.  “So this decision is, first of all, the end of any hope for justice for the families of the victims, those who were killed in those Maidan protests [in 2014]. But it is also a real attack on the credibility of the Ukrainian justice system,” Cragg adds.  'This country has no future'  “What Ukrainians have been fighting for is going down the drain,” filmmaker Oleg Sentsov, who was released in the September prisoner exchange, said on Facebook.  “This country has no future,” Volodymyr Golodnyuk, whose 19-year-old son was killed in the uprising, said on his Facebook page.  “It was a difficult decision,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky told the press after greeting former prisoners at Boryspil airport near Kiev.  “But we were able to return those who are alive,” he added.  The European Union said “we take note” of the exchange of riot policemen.  “We expect all accusations will continue to be investigated and the parties concerned to ensure that those responsible are brought to justice,” the EU said in a statement.  To watch Gulliver Cragg’s full report from Kiev, click on the player above.


rferl--2019-12-29--Ukraine, Russia-Backed Separatists Complete Prisoner Swap

Ukrainian authorities and Russia-backed separatists in eastern Ukraine have completed what was billed as an "all-for-all" prisoner swap near the village of Horlivka on December 29, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy's office said.  Relatives and supporters of the former captives handed over to the Ukrainian side were converging on Kyiv's Boryspil Airport to meet them upon their arrival in the capital.  The swap, reportedly of around 200 prisoners in all, included fighters from the separatist ranks and civilians and servicemen long held in the breakaway regions.  "Mutual release of detained persons has ended, " the presidential office said in a tweet, adding, "76 of ours are safe in Ukraine-controlled territory. Details later."  Serhiy Sivoha, an adviser to the Ukrainian Security and Defense Council, told Ukraine's Hromadske TV that Ukraine had gotten 76 of its nationals back and handed over 127 detainees within the framework of the exchange.  Earlier, the UNIAN news agency had quoted a representative of the Donetsk separatists as saying that the Ukrainian side was expected to hand over 87 people, while the separatists were set to swap 55.  The swap was the second major prisoner exchange involving Ukrainians caught up in the conflict in four months.  It included the handover to the government side of two RFE/RL contributors who had been held by separatists since 2017: Stanislav Aseyev and Oleh Halaziuk.  The notion of an "all-for-all" prisoner exchange gained momentum during peace talks in Paris on December 9 among the so-called Normandy Four -- Ukraine, Russia, France, and Germany -- trying to bring an end to the five-year conflict.  In the last swap, Russia and Ukraine traded a total of 70 prisoners in a move that many regarded as progress in efforts to deescalate a war that has killed more than 13,000 people since Moscow forcibly annexed Crimea and Russia-backed gunmen grabbed swaths of eastern Ukraine including parts of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions in 2014.  Russia insists it is not a party to the conflict, despite significant evidence that includes communication with separatist leaders, captured Russians, and Russian casualties in the fighting.  After the swap on December 29, the U.S. Embassy in Kyiv tweeted out congratulations of "liberated captives from Russia-controlled Donbas" and specifically cited "Russia's ongoing aggression [that] confronts Ukraine's leadership with difficult choices."  In Moscow, the Kremlin said Russian President Vladimir Putin and German Chancellor Angela Merkel had welcomed the prisoner swap as a "positive" development, AFP reported.  There was controversy ahead of the planned swap when families of protesters killed by riot police during pro-Western unrest in 2014 publicly objected to any of the police officers convicted in those killings being part of a trade.  Families of the victims of the riot policemen warned in an open letter on Facebook to Zelenskiy that the release of the men could lead to a "wave of protests."  "We would like to inform you that these people are neither participants nor victims of the conflict in eastern Ukraine," they wrote.  A number of rights and press groups had urged the release of the RFE/RL contributors Aseyev and Halaziuk over the past two years.  Aseyev was sentenced by separatists in October to 15 years in captivity for alleged espionage in a process that rights and press-freedom groups called "illegal" and "shocking."  Halaziuk was a professor at a Kharkiv economic institute before he started blogging under the pseudonym Myroslav Tyamushchiy to chronicle life in a war zone after the outbreak of the conflict in eastern Ukraine in 2014.  "We are thrilled and relieved that Stas and Oleh have been released,” said RFE/RL President Jamie Fly, who had urged Zelenskiy to seek the men's release during a meeting in Kyiv last month. “They were held incommunicado for 2 1/2 years, not because of any crime they committed, but because they reported the truth about Russia’s occupation of their homeland."  Fly went on to thank the Ukrainian government and the so-called Trilateral Contact Group for their work toward winning the journalists' freedom.  The conflict in the region known as the Donbas is one of the biggest challenges facing Zelenskiy, who campaigned on a vow to end the conflict. He was inaugurated on May 20.  The United States and European Union have imposed sanctions on Russia for its support of the separatists in eastern Ukraine and for the seizure and annexation of Ukraine’s Crimea region.  With reporting by Reuters, AFP, AP, dpa, UNIAN, and Interfax


sputnik--2019-12-28--Donbass Ombudswoman Reveals Date of Prisoner Exchange Between Kiev and East Ukraine Republics

A prisoner exchange between Kiev and the self-proclaimed republics of Donetsk (DPR) and Lugansk (LPR) will be held on 29 December and be based on the "87 for 55 formula", DPR ombudswoman Daria Morozova said on Saturday.  On Monday, the Donbass contact group agreed in a video conference to exchange prisoners by the end of 2019. Donetsk and Lugansk authorities noted that they had received guarantees from Kiev that the Ukrainian side would halt the criminal prosecution of the exchanged persons.  In April 2014, the Ukrainian authorities launched a military operation against the self-proclaimed LPR and DPR, which declared independence after a coup in Ukraine in February 2014. According to the latest UN data, about 13,000 people have fallen victim to the conflict.  The issue of resolving the Donbass conflict has been discussed during the meetings of a contact group in Minsk, which, since September 2014, has already adopted three documents regulating the conflict de-escalation process. However, despite armistice agreements, skirmishes between the parties to the conflict continue.


sputnik--2019-12-29--Paris, Berlin, Washington Welcome Prisoner Exchange Between Kiev, Donbass

German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Emmanuel Macron have also welcomed the Sunday's exchange.  The US embassy in Ukraine joined those who hailed the exchange of prisoners in Donbass.  Earlier in the day, Ukraine has handed over more than 120 people to DPR and LPR, while the latter returned almost 80 Ukrainian fighters to Kiev. This was the first exchange of prisoners between the sides since 2017. It took place near the city of Horlivka in the Donetsk Region.  On 9 December, the presidents of France, Germany, Russia and Ukraine held talks in the so-called Normandy format and agreed, among everything, to ensure the exchange of prisoners between Kiev and Donbas under "all-for-all" formula once the sides finalize the lists of individuals to be released and swapped.


sputnik--2019-12-29--Ukraine's Ombudswoman Confirms Start of Prisoner Exchange Between Kiev, Donbass

The start of the exchange was also confirmed by the Ukrainian president's office.  This is first exchange of prisoners between the sides since 2017. It is taking place near the DPR-controlled city of Horlivka.  DPR ombudswoman Daria Morozova said that LPR representatives have already left for Ukrainian territory to start the procedure.  The official added that about 20 people refused to be exchanged and wished to stay in the territory controlled by Kiev.  According to a DPR representative, no incidents have been recorded in the ongoing prisoner exchange process so far.  On 9 December, the presidents of France, Germany, Russia, and Ukraine held talks in the so-called Normandy format and agreed, among other things, to ensure an exchange of prisoners between Kiev and Donbass under an "all-for-all" formula once the sides finalise the lists of individuals to be released and swapped.  The last prisoner exchange between the warring sides took place in December 2017.


sputnik--2019-12-29--Zelensky Says First Part of Normandy Accords Implemented Following Prisoner Exchange

"The most important thing is that people are at home. The first part, which we agreed on in the Normandy format, has been completed. We returned our people, 81 people were released, 76 people are now in Ukraine, in the part controlled by Ukraine, and six remained in the temporarily occupied territories," Zelensky said.  In addition, Zelensky stated that the release of Berkut security force members was one of the conditions for the prisoner exchange with the DPR and LPR.  The Ukrainian president also said that Kiev would continue working toward returning the Ukrainian prisoners of war in Donbass that were not covered by the latest round of negotiated exchanges.  At the same press encounter, Zelensky pledged to investigate the murders that occurred during the events in Kiev in February 2014 that toppled the government of then-President Viktor Yanukovych and eventually triggered the conflict in eastern Ukraine as Donetsk and Lugansk considered what happened to be a coup and unilaterally proclaimed independence from Ukraine.  Earlier in the day, Ukraine had handed over more than 120 people to the Donetsk People's Republic and Lugansk People's Republic, while the latter two returned almost 80 Ukrainian fighters to Kiev. This was the first exchange of prisoners between the sides since 2017. It took place near the city of Horlivka in the Donetsk region.  At the beginning of December, the presidents of France, Germany, Russia, and Ukraine held talks in the so-called Normandy format to discuss the conflict in the eastern Ukrainian breakaway region of Donbass. The leaders agreed, among other things, to ensure an exchange of prisoners between Kiev and Donbass under an "all-for-all" formula once the sides finalise the lists of individuals to be released and swapped.


tass--2019-08-21--Russia to facilitate all-for-all Donbass prisoner exchange envoy

Russia to facilitate all-for-all Donbass prisoner exchange — envoy

MINSK, August 21. /TASS/. Russia is ready to facilitate the "all identified for all identified" prisoner exchange between Kiev and the Donbass republics, Russia’s envoy to the Contact Group for the settlement in eastern Ukraine Boris Gryzlov stated on Wednesday.  "In the humanitarian area, the Russian delegation will facilitate and mediate the talks between Kiev and Donbass on the upcoming "all identified for all identified" prisoner swap in order to ensure it takes place as soon as possible," Gryzlov told reporters on the outcomes of the Contact Group’s session held in Minsk on Wednesday.  The last large-scale exchange of detainees between Ukraine and the Donbass republics took place in December 2017. Back then, Kiev exchanged 233 prisoners for 73 detained Ukrainian citizens. The parties underlined that the release of prisoners was not over and they would make every effort to continue this process. However, since then, the parties were failing to reach new agreements on mutual release and exchange of prisoners.  The deadlock was broken at a meeting of the Contact Group for the settlement in Ukraine on July 17, when the parties in the conflict coordinated the prisoner swap procedure, agreeing to exchange 208 of DPR and LPR representatives for 69 Ukrainian military. Fifty of them are held by the DPR, and another 19 - by the self-proclaimed Lugansk People’s Republic (LPR). It is expected that the procedural measures aimed to exchange the prisoners would take up to six weeks.  On August 9, the DPR announced that they are "fully ready" for the swap. "As of now, we have confirmed the fact of 102 of our citizens held by the Ukrainian side. Kiev confirmed that they are on the swap list," the self-proclaimed republic’s human rights commissioner Daria Morozova informed. For its part, the DPR is ready to return 50 detained persons to Kiev.


tass--2019-12-08--Zelensky to discuss prisoner swap, ceasefire and troops withdrawal in Paris

KIEV, December 8. /TASS/. Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky is expected to focus on three issues at the upcoming Normandy Four summit in Paris - a prisoner swap, ceasefire and the withdrawal of forces from the territories in Donbass uncontrolled by Kiev, which he calls a condition for holding local elections, his spokesperson Yulia Mendel said on Sunday.  "The first three steps, which President Zelensky will raise at the Paris meeting, are a timeframe and conditions for returning captured Ukrainians, a real rather than a fake ceasefire and definitely, the withdrawal of foreign forces and armed groups from Donbass. The first two issues are directly related to human life, and that’s why they are important. The last one is the condition for holding polls in Donbass," Mendel wrote on her Facebook page.  The spokesperson stressed that the meeting of the Normandy Four (Russia, Germany, France and Ukraine) leaders in Paris was a real chance for achieving ceasefire in Donbass. "Remember the saying: "When diplomats talk, cannons are silent "? The Normandy meeting on December 9 is a chance to make cannons go silent. Nothing else has worked so far," she said.  Meanwhile, Ukrainians should not expect that the conflict in Donbass would be stopped immediately after the Normandy Four meeting, Mendel said, noting that the talks could leave "an aftertaste of disappointment.".


tass--2019-12-28--Donbass prisoner swap with Kiev to take place on Dec 29 - DPR envoy

DONETSK, December 28. /TASS/. A prisoner swap between the self-proclaimed Donbass republics and Kiev will take place on December 29 under the "all identified for all identified" formula, Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR) envoy to the Contact Group for settlement in eastern Ukraine Daria Morozova informed on Saturday. She added that Kiev is expected to hand over 87 people for Donbass’ 55.  "Kiev and Donbass have approved the prisoner exchange date under the "all identified for all identified" formula. This Sunday, December 29, that is, before the New Year, as agreed by the leaders of the Normandy Four, the Ukrainian side is expected to hand over 87 people. Donetsk and Lugansk will release 55 people," Morozova’s press service quotes her as saying.  On Monday, the Contact Group for settlement in eastern Ukraine has agreed to hold a prisoner swap before the end of 2019, as mandated by the leaders of the Normandy Four (Russia, Germany, Ukraine, France) on the outcomes of the summit in Paris.


tass--2019-12-29--Donbass republics hand over first 25 people to Kiev in prisoner swap

KIEV, December 29. /TASS/. The Donbass republics have handed over the first 25 people to Kiev in a prisoner swap, according to a live broadcast by the Ukrainian president’s office on its Facebook page on Sunday.  "All the 25 people," a representative of the Lugansk People’s Republic said after verifying the prisoner swap list. When asked about whether they wanted to move to Ukraine, all the persons subject to the handover answered in the affirmative.  The prisoner swap between the Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics, on the one hand, and Ukraine, on the other hand, started at the Gorlovka-Mayorskoye checkpoint on the line of contact between the conflicting parties.  As was reported earlier, Donetsk and Lugansk are set to hand over 55 persons to Kiev and expect to receive 87 people. However, Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR) ombudswoman Darya Morozova said on Sunday that the figures might change and the Donbass republics would receive a larger number of people.  In turn, Ukraine’s Verkhovna Rada human rights envoy Lyudmila Denisova announced that Kiev intended to receive 80 people.


tass--2019-12-29--Donbass republics, Ukraine start prisoner swap near Gorlovka

GORLOVKA, December 29. /TASS/. The first prisoner swap over the past two years has started between the self-proclaimed Donbass republics and Kiev near Gorlovka, Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR) ombudswoman Darya Morozova announced on Sunday.  "The swap has started," Morozova said.  The prisoner swap is taking place at the Gorlovka-Mayorskoye point of entry/exit on the line of contact between the Donetsk People’s Republic and Ukraine.  As the ombudswoman said, the persons held in custody in the DPR as a result of the armed conflict and subject to the swap had set off for the so-called grey zone - the territory between the positions of the conflicting parties - to finalize the exchange procedure.  Donetsk and Lugansk are set to hand over 55 persons to Kiev and expect to receive 87 people, Morozova said on Saturday.


tass--2019-12-29--EU welcomes prisoner exchange between Ukraine and Donbass republics - statement

BRUSSELS, December 29. /TASS/. The European Union has hailed Sunday’s exchange of detainees between Kiev and the self-proclaimed republics in Donbass as a good example of the implementation of the agreements reached at the latest Normandy Four summit, as follows from the statement of the European Union External Action Service released on Sunday.  "This is a welcome example of implementation of one of the measures agreed at the Normandy 4 Summit of 9 December. The European Union expects all parties to further build on this momentum. Work to implement the measures agreed at the Summit must continue," the statement says.  It also called for further investigation into what it called "the tragic events on Maidan in 2014," not specifying however what these words implied.  Brussels stressed "the importance of the implementation of the Minsk agreements in full, including a permanent ceasefire" and pledged to continue its support "to the work of the Normandy format, the OSCE and the Trilateral Contact Group."  Along with that, the European Union said it "remains in steadfast support of Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity."  Kiev and the Donbass republics exchanged prisoners earlier on Sunday. The swap was carried put near the Mayorskoye checkpoint. According to preliminary data, Ukraine released 124 people and the Donbass republics handed over to Kiev 76 people.


tass--2019-12-29--First in past two years prisoner exchange in Donbass over

GORLOVKA, December 29. /TASS/. The first in the past two years prisoner exchange between Ukraine and the self-proclaimed Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics (DPR and LPR) near Gorlovka is over, a TASS correspondent reported from the site.  "We have received from Kiev 60 people. The Ukrainian side has brought several more people, we are waiting for them. We (Donetsk and Lugansk) handed over to Ukraine 52 people," DPR’s ombudswoman Darya Morozova said.  Earlier, LPR’s negotiator at the humanitarian subgroup of the Contact Group and head of the LPR’s group on the prisoner exchange Olga Kobtseva said Lugansk had received from Ukraine 63 people.  Thus, the prisoner swap formula is preliminarily 123 for 77.


tass--2019-12-29--Kiev confirms start of prisoner swap in Donbass

KIEV, December 29. /TASS/. Kiev and the self-proclaimed Donbass republics have started their prisoner exchange procedure at the Mayorskoye checkpoint, the office of the Ukrainian president confirmed on Sunday.  "The process of releasing detained persons has started at the Mayorskoye entry/exit checkpoint in the Donetsk Region," the Ukrainian president’s office said in its Telegram-channel.  Ukraine’s Verkhovna Rada human rights envoy Lyudmila Denisova also reported about the start of the prisoner swap, adding that her representatives were at the scene of the event "to monitor the observance of the rights and freedoms of Ukrainian citizens during the handover of servicemen to the territory controlled by the Ukrainian government."  Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR) ombudswoman Darya Morozova announced earlier on Sunday that the first prisoner swap over the past two years had started between the self-proclaimed Donbass republics and Kiev near Gorlovka.  "The swap has started," Morozova said.  The prisoner swap is taking place at the Gorlovka-Mayorskoye point of entry/exit on the line of contact between the Donetsk People’s Republic and Ukraine.  As the ombudswoman said, the persons held in custody in the DPR as a result of the armed conflict and subject to the swap had set off for the so-called grey zone - the territory between the positions of the conflicting parties - to finalize the exchange procedure.  Donetsk and Lugansk are set to hand over 55 persons to Kiev and expect to receive 87 people, Morozova said on Saturday.


tass--2019-12-29--Kiev, Donbass republics specify prisoner exchange formula

GORLOVKA, December 29. /TASS/. A total of 124 people were released and handed over to the self-proclaimed Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics (DPR and LPR) by Kiev in Sunday’s prisoner swap, a TASS correspondent reported from the exchange site near Gorlovka.  It was reported earlier that the LPR received 63 people and the DPR - 60 people, or 123 people in all.  Later however Ukraine handed over one more person.  Apart from that, Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky’s office confirmed that it had received 76 people, including 25 from the LPR and 51 from the DPR.  By now, the swap formula is 124-for-76.  Kiev and the Donbass republics exchanged prisoners earlier on Sunday. The swap was carried put near the Mayorskoye checkpoint. The Contact Group on the settlement of the situation in eastern Ukraine agreed at the beginning of the week to conduct a prisoner exchange by the yearend, with was among the provisions of the final document of the latest Normandy Four summit in Paris.


tass--2019-12-29--Lugansk Republic receives 63 people in prisoner swap with Kiev

GORLOVKA, December 29. /TASS/. The self-proclaimed Lugansk People’s Republic (LPR) has received 63 people in a prisoner swap with Kiev and handed over 25 persons, the republic’s envoy in the humanitarian subgroup of the Contact Group on settlement in eastern Ukraine, head of the LPR’s group on the prisoner exchange Olga Kobtseva announced on Sunday.  "We have held the swap. We handed over 25 and took back 63 people," she told journalists. Nine people refused to participate in the swap and remained in Ukraine, she added.  The prisoner swap is taking place at the Gorlovka-Mayorskoye point of entry/exit on the line of contact between the Donetsk People’s Republic and Ukraine. It was earlier reported that Donetsk and Lugansk were set to hand over 55 persons to Kiev and expected to receive 87 people.  The verification of the prisoners lasted several hours. The prisoner swap is being monitored by the OSCE (Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe) Special Monitoring Mission to Ukraine and representatives of the International Committee of the Red Cross.


tass--2019-12-29--Merkel, Macron hail prisoner exchange in Donbass - German government spokesperson

BERLIN, December 29. /TASS/. Berlin and Paris hail Sunday’s exchange of detainees in Donbass as a step helping rebuild trust between the sides, German government deputy spokesperson Martina Fitz said.  "Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Emmanuel Macron hail today’s release and exchange of prisoners in eastern Ukraine," she said.  "Ahead of the New Year and Orthodox Christmas celebrations, today’s swap was a humanitarian gesture that has been awaited for long. It will be a contribution to the restoration of trust between the sides," she said.  German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas also welcomed the exchange of detainees and stressed that "assertive diplomacy yields results." He pledged that Berlin and Paris would continue efforts to settle the Ukrainian conflict.  Kiev and the Donbass republics exchanged prisoners earlier on Sunday. The swap was carried put near the Mayorskoye checkpoint. According to preliminary data, Ukraine released 124 people and the Donbass republics handed over to Kiev 76 people.


tass--2019-12-29--OSCE hails prisoner swap in Donbass

OSCE hails prisoner swap in Donbass

KIEV, December 29. /TASS/. Special Representative of the OSCE Chairperson in-Office in Ukraine Martin Sajdik has hailed Sunday’s prisoner exchange between Kiev and the Donbass republics.  "I sincerely welcome the mutual release and exchange of detainees today, pursuant to a common decision of the Trilateral Contract Group, with the participation of representatives of certain areas of Donetsk and Lugansk regions of Ukraine, taken on 23 December 2019. This is a very important step, which has been long awaited by both the detainees and their relatives and friends, made on the eve of the New Year and Christmas celebrations, it has special symbolic resonance," he said in press statement on Sunday.  He called on the parties to "to continue to apply all necessary efforts to achieve a peaceful settlement of the conflict in eastern Ukraine through the full and comprehensive implementation of the Minsk agreements, including by drawing on the recommendations of the Normandy Four."  Kiev and the Donbass republics exchanged prisoners earlier on Sunday. The swap was carried put near the Mayorskoye checkpoint. According to preliminary data, Ukraine released 124 people and the Donbass republics handed over to Kiev 76 people.


tass--2019-12-29--Putin, Merkel hail prisoner swap in Donbass - Kremlin

MOSCOW, December 29. /TASS/. Russian President Vladimir Putin and Gemrna Chancellor Angela Merkel have hailed Sunday’s prisoner exchange in Donbass, the Kremlin press service said on Sunday after their telephone conversation.  "The sides gave a positive assessment of the prisoner exchange in the all-identified-for-all-identified format that took place today in the Donetsk region," the press service said.  The conversation was initiated by the German side.  Kiev and the Donbass republics exchanged prisoners earlier on Sunday. The swap was carried put near the Mayorskoye checkpoint. According to preliminary data, Ukraine released 124 people and the Donbass republics handed over to Kiev 76 people.


tass--2019-12-29--Ukraine receives 76 people in prisoner swap with Donbass - Zelensky’s office

KIEV, December 29. /TASS/. Ukraine has received 76 people in a prisoner swap with the Donbass republics, the office of Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky said on Sunday.  "The mutual release of prisoners is over. Seventy-six our people are in safety in the territory controlled by Ukraine," it said on its Telegram account, adding that details will be made public later.  Kiev and the Donbass republics exchanged prisoners earlier on Sunday. The swap was carried put near the Mayorskoye checkpoint. According to preliminary information, Kiev released and handed over 124 people to the Donbass republics.


tass--2019-12-30--Putin uses his influence to aid Donbass prisoner swap, Kremlin says

On December 29, a prisoner swap between Kiev and the self-proclaimed Donbass republics took place near the line of contact in the area of Gorlovka. This was the first large-scale prisoner swap in two years. According to preliminary data, Ukraine handed over 124 people to Donbass, while the Donbass republics released 76 prisoners.  MOSCOW, December 30. /TASS/. Russian President Vladimir Putin uses his influence to aid the prisoner swap between Kiev and Donbass, however, he does not take part in the negotiations, Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters on Monday.  "The Russian president does not take part in these negotiations, in these contacts. He uses his influence and authority to ensure that the exchange takes place. The exchange itself is carried out by the conflict sides. As you know, Russia is not a side in this conflict," the Kremlin spokesman said in response to a question by a Ukrainian reporter, who claimed that the prisoner swaps only take place "after a corresponding agreement with Vladimir Putin."  Peskov pointed out that there are no direct bilateral contacts between Kiev and the Donbass republics. "If there had been any, there would have been more progress. So we currently have a trilateral commission," he said. The spokesman added that the mediation of the Russian side is important "only due to the lack of direct contacts."  He refused to answer a question on whether the Donbass republics had approved the prisoner swap list with Moscow. "I have nothing to add, I cannot provide you with more detailed information," he said.


themoscowtimes--2019-08-23--Russia Ukraine Near Prisoner Swap Including Jailed Sailors Media

Russia, Ukraine Near Prisoner Swap Including Jailed Sailors – Media

Russia and Ukraine have agreed to exchange as many as 66 prisoners held in both countries as soon as next week, including 24 Ukrainian sailors captured off the coast of Crimea last year, media outlets have reported. Russia holds dozens of Ukrainian captives following five years of conflict in eastern Ukraine, but it is unclear how many Russians are being held by Kiev. The Kremlin said Thursday it was in talks with Kiev on a possible prisoner exchange, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy’s key campaign promise this year.  Russia and Ukraine are close to swapping 33 captives from each side, the RBC news website reported Thursday, citing an unnamed source familiar with the negotiations. Two sources from each side familiar with the details of the negotiations later confirmed the report with RBC. The prisoner exchange could happen by the end of August, the Kommersant business daily reported Thursday, citing unnamed sources familiar with Russian-Ukrainian negotiations. Russia would hand over the 24 Ukrainian sailors as part of the deal, Kommersant reported. Ukrainian and Russian media outlets have cited a lawyer for one of the convicts as saying that the swap could take place as soon as Aug. 28 or Aug. 29. Five Ukrainians convicted in Russia had been transferred to a prison in Moscow earlier this week, which an RBC source said was a signal that preparations for the exchange were underway.  Ukraine’s human rights chief is in Moscow ahead of the prisoner swap, RBC reported, and Russia’s human rights chief reportedly arrived in Kiev Friday. Jailed Russian-Ukrainian journalist Kirill Vyshinsky has refused to be exchanged, saying he wants to clear his name in Ukrainian court. Ukrainian filmmaker Oleg Sentsov, who is serving a 20-year prison sentence in Russia, has not been mentioned in the reported Russian-Ukrainian exchange lists.  Zelenskiy had offered to exchange Vyshinsky for Sentsov last month as a “first step.” The Russian Navy captured the Ukrainian sailors and their three vessels in the Kerch Strait, which links the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov, on Nov. 25, 2018, after opening fire on them. President Vladimir Putin said in June that the fate of the sailors must be linked to the release of Russian citizens held in Ukraine whom Moscow wants to see freed. Kiev's forces have been battling pro-Russian separatists in the Donbass region of eastern Ukraine since 2014, in a conflict that has claimed more than 13,000 lives. Sporadic fighting continues despite a ceasefire agreement.


themoscowtimes--2019-08-30--Ukrainian Presidents Office Says No Prisoner Swap With Russia Yet

Ukrainian President's Office Says No Prisoner Swap With Russia Yet

Ukraine is hoping to secure the release of dozens of prisoners, including 24 sailors who were detained by Russia in the Kerch Strait last year, and filmmaker Oleg Sentsov.  The office of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy on Friday said no prisoner swap had taken place with Russia yet and the process was ongoing, after an earlier Facebook post by Ukraine's general prosecutor suggested a swap had been completed.  Update: The prisoner exchange will not happen Friday and a final date hasn't yet been determined, a spokeswoman for Ukraine's security service (SBU)  told  Ukrainian media. She added that the process is going according to plan.  "The process of the prisoner swap is ongoing. Information that it has been completed is untrue," the president's office said in a statement. Interfax also cited a source in Moscow denying that an exchange had taken place.  Ukraine's general prosecutor had earlier reposted a comment on Facebook that the sailors and Sentsov were flying back from Russia after a prisoner swap had been completed.  Russia had transferred Sentsov from a remote Arctic prison to custody in Moscow amid talks with Kiev on a possible prisoner swap, the state-run TASS and Interfax news agencies reported on Thursday.  Securing a prisoner swap would be a win for Zelenskiy, who became president this year promising to bring an end to the conflict in eastern Ukraine.  Ukrainian troops have been battling Russian-backed forces in the Donbass region of eastern Ukraine since 2014, in a conflict that has claimed more than 13,000 lives. Sporadic fighting continues despite a ceasefire agreement.  Russia is holding dozens of Ukrainian captives from the conflict. Oleksandr Danylyuk, a top Ukrainian security official, told Ukrainian media he hoped the prisoner swap might happen on Friday, but added:  "We have to wait for the exchange and then comment."


themoscowtimes--2019-10-04--Kremlin Says It Favors All-for-All Prisoner Swap With Ukraine

Ukraine plans to carry out a major prisoner swap with Russia and hopes it will take place next week, Ukraine's Foreign Minister Vadym Prystaiko said late on Thursday.  The comments come after a breakthrough at talks between Moscow and Kiev this week that open the way for an international summit to be held aimed at ending the conflict between Kiev and pro-Russian rebels in Ukraine's east.  Russia and Ukraine swapped dozens of prisoners on Sept. 7 in a carefully negotiated rapprochement that was praised in the West and appeared to presage a thawing in relations that have been frozen since Moscow's annexation of Crimea in 2014.