Ex-"Donetsk People's Republic" fighter Volodymyr Tsemakh, who was exchanged in prisoner release to Russia, has returned to Russia-occupied Donetsk region, Tsemakh's daughter Maria has said.

"Yes, we have returned. My father is home," she told Interfax-Ukraine on Thursday evening.

Russian media frequently wrote about Tsemakh in early 2019. It was reported that Ukrainian special services were able to secretly transport the "head of air defense for the Sloviansk Brigade" from Russia-occupied Snizhne, Donetsk region to Ukraine-controlled territory. The reports said Tsemakh was a witness to the downing of flight MH17 over Donbas by a Russian Buk missile in July 2014. It was also reported that a court arrested Tsemakh. There were no official reports on this from Ukrainian authorities.