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Donetsk says POW exchange with Kiev should be on 29-for-29 basis

The self-defence is ready “to have the exchange strictly one prisoner for one prisoner,” the representative of the Republic’s committee on prisoners of war said

© AP Photo/Darko Vojinovic

DONETSK, September 28. /ITAR-TASS/. Militia of the proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic tell Kiev the upcoming exchange of prisoners of war should be organised on the 29-for-29 basis, representative of the Republic’s committee on prisoners of war Darya Morozova told ITAR-TASS on Sunday.

Read also

DPR and Ukrainian military negotiate a 50-for-50 exchange of the prisoners of war

“The Ukrainian side is ready to release to the Donetsk Republic 60 prisoners of war, but according to the data we have only 29 people are militias taken prisoners.”

The self-defence is ready “to have the exchange strictly one prisoner for one prisoner,” the representative said.

A decision on the upcoming exchange is due at 2p.m. local time (3p.m. Moscow time), she said, and the exchange may take place an hour later in the Konstantinovka village, which is 60 km from Donetsk.

The exchanged will be observed by OSCE experts. The committee’s representative said that released militias return to Konstantinovka in very poor physical conditions and require urgent medical assistance, as while in captivity they are not fed and suffer from physical effects. Among the prisoners are also local civilians, who did not participate in the military actions, but were arrested by the Ukrainian military.

The exchange of prisoners of war is a key aspect of the agreements reached by the contact group on Ukraine in Minsk on September 5. Since then, the sides organised four exchanges: 37 for 37, 70 for 70, 38 for 38 and 28 for 28.

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