Prisoner exchange between Ukraine rivals begins
Credit to Author: Agence France-Presse| Date: Mon, 30 Dec 2019 03:02:46 +0000
ODRADIVKA, Ukraine: Ukrainian authorities and Russia-backed separatists in the war-torn east of the country on Sunday began a prisoner swap in a frontline operation that has stirred controversy. As part of the swap, Kiev was expected to hand over to separatists several riot policemen suspected of killing protesters during a pro-Western uprising in 2014, in a move that sparked public anger. It was still unclear how many people were involved in the exchange. A representative of the separatist stronghold of Donetsk, Daria Morozova, said earlier that separatists would get 87 prisoners, while 55 people would be handed over to Kiev. The two sides were seen preparing the exchange prisoners early Sunday, with vehicles arriving near the village of Odradivka, some 10 kilometers self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic. The location was guarded by uniformed men with machine guns. AFP