10:56 06.01.2016

Kyiv doesn't rule out possibility of POW exchange with DPR/LPR, doesn't announce it beforehand

2 min read
Kyiv doesn't rule out possibility of POW exchange with DPR/LPR, doesn't announce it beforehand The Ukrainian Security Service (SBU) does not rule out the possibility of exchanging prisoners of war with the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic (DPR) and Luhansk People's Republic (LPR) in the near future, but is not announcing it beforehand, Yuriy Tandit, an adviser to the SBU chief, has said. "I would not give detailed comments on this issue. We will not announce the release […] We have discussed this issue more than once, including on your programs, and I said that the upcoming holidays were a reason for us, Christians, to decide on the release of hostages," Tandit said on TV Channel 112 Ukraine on Wednesday. He expressed hope that Russia would begin implementing the sixth clause of the Minsk agreements and influence the militants to free the hostages. He said he currently could not speak about any specific dates of the possible swap. "We are not against transferring these people [representatives of the DPR and the LPR] there quickly. We need to take our guys back soon," Tandit said. Speaking about the number of POWs held by the DPR and the LPR, the adviser to the SBU chief said Kyiv was aware of about the precise whereabouts of 57 such persons. "Some 140 of our guys are considered to be hostages. Speaking about Luhansk, in addition to servicemen and the individuals who had been defending [Ukraine] with weapons in their hands, there are also civilians there. Including your colleague [journalist and civil volunteer] Masha Varfolomeyeva," Tandit said. According to earlier reports, LPR leader Igor Plotnitsky issued an order on Wednesday morning to release the captured Ukrainian troops on the occasion of Christmas holidays.
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