Kyiv wants to swap DPR militants captured in Shyrokyne area for Ukrainian captives
The Ukrainian side is ready to exchange eight militants of the so-called Donetsk People's Republic (DPR) detained near Shyrokyne in Donetsk region for Ukrainian captives, Ukraine's representative in the Contact Group's subgroup for humanitarian matters, Verkhovna Rada First Deputy Chairperson Iryna Heraschenko has said.
"Eight bandits, who were detained by representatives of the Ukrainian Armed Forces near Shyrokyne are not bomb disposal experts at all, but rather snipers [...] who had not been engaged in mine-clearance, but sought to stage acts of sabotage there. But I want to say that the Ukrainian side for the sake of releasing our hostages is ready to hand over these eight detainees to the other side," Heraschenko said on air of the 112.Ukraine television channel on Thursday, June 30.
Kyiv has sent signals to "the other side", but there is no reply to them as of yet, she said.
"But the humanitarian subgroup will hold a meeting in Minsk on July 4, and I will make this proposal there, we are ready to exchange these eight detainees," Heraschenko said.
The Ukrainian military have captured eight DPR militants, who were on a reconnaissance mission on the Ukraine-controlled territory, in the area of Shyrokyne, Yuriy Tandyt, the advisor to the Ukrainian Security Service chief, said on June 28.