More than 650 people have been released in the biggest prisoner exchange to date in the Ukrainian conflict, separatist authorities have announced.
Ukrainian officials
signed the deal with
the self-proclaimed republics of Donetsk and Luhansk on Thursday, the
Lenta news site reported.
Ukraine
released 47 prisoners, while the two breakaway
republics released a total of 618 people, said
Olga Kobtseva, spokesperson for Luhansk
Contact Group for Humanitarian Affairs in Minsk, Belarus.
The two sides have made
15 prisoner exchanges since February 2015, releasing 328 detainees in
total, Kobtseva said.
The
Ukrainain conflict has been ongoing since February 2014, killing an
estimated 9,000 people.
A Message from The Moscow Times:
Dear readers,
We are facing unprecedented challenges. Russia's Prosecutor General's Office has designated The Moscow Times as an "undesirable" organization, criminalizing our work and putting our staff at risk of prosecution. This follows our earlier unjust labeling as a "foreign agent."
These actions are direct attempts to silence independent journalism in Russia. The authorities claim our work "discredits the decisions of the Russian leadership." We see things differently: we strive to provide accurate, unbiased reporting on Russia.
We, the journalists of The Moscow Times, refuse to be silenced. But to continue our work, we need your help.
Your support, no matter how small, makes a world of difference. If you can, please support us monthly starting from just $2. It's quick to set up, and every contribution makes a significant impact.
By supporting The Moscow Times, you're defending open, independent journalism in the face of repression. Thank you for standing with us.
Remind me later.
