Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko said he is doing everything possible to ensure the prompt release of the Ukrainians who are held illegally in the Russian Federation.

"This is not a topic of exchange. No, no, no, no, no. I do my best to have Ukrainian heroes at home," the president said in an interview with The Washington Post, published in September, responding to a question as to whether Ukraine is ready to swap detained Russian servicemen for Ukrainian citizens Nadiya Savchenko and Oleh Sentsov.

Poroshenko said that the Ukrainian administration has the support of the Ukrainian people and that he has the support of the entire international community in these aspirations.

He said Savchenko is a servicewoman of the Ukrainian Air Force and "was defending the army on Ukrainian territory."