Ukrainian Security Service Confirms Prisoner Swap With Lugansk Militia …
KYIV (Sputnik) — Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU) on Friday confirmed it had exchanged ten militiamen for an equal number of Ukrainian troops in the eastern self-proclaimed Lugansk People’s Republic (LPR).
“Ten hostages were released in the town of Shchastya, in the Luhansk region, under the Minsk agreement. This was reported to Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko by [SBU] head Vasyl Grytsak,” the security agency said in a statement published Friday.
The statement named all ten persons released, including tank crews and members of the Aydar battalion, and a pro-Kyiv volunteer unit that was previously accused of being involved in human rights violations by Amnesty International.
Prisoner swaps were a key provision in the 13-point roadmap that outlined steps to bring peace to Ukraine. The deal, called the Minsk agreement, was hammered out in February by the leaders of Ukraine, Russia, France and Germany.