Date of new hostage swap in occupied Donbas not yet set

15:35, 05.02.2018 1 min read

The date of the next round of the swap of hostages kept in occupied areas in Donbas has not yet been decided, Verkhovna Rada commissioner for human rights Valeriya Lutkovska has said.

"As of now, the date of the next round has not been established yet. The date mentioned in the media is sheer torture for [the hostages'] relatives," she said at a press conference in Kyiv on Monday, February 5.

The issue is on the agenda of Trilateral Contact Group meetings, she said.

"I'm present there as an expert. I'm not a key negotiator," she added.

As reported, 74 illegally detained Ukrainians were released on December 27, 2017. A total of 233 persons were transferred to the occupied areas of Donbas. This is the largest exchange of detainees between the parties since 2015.

In addition, Ukrainian serviceman Roman Savkov, who was held hostage by militants, was released on January 24, 2018.