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"Reserve fund" made it possible to exchange POWs in such a proportion — DPR leader

"In the future, as soon as there is a chance to get our guys out, we will be doing that," Denis Pushilin stressed

MOSCOW, September 22. /TASS/. The existence of an "exchange reserve" in the Donetsk People's Republic (DPR) made it possible to exchange prisoners of war with the Ukrainian side in a proportion that was agreed on in this particular case. In making the decision the authorities of the republic bore in mind "the existing situation," the DPR’s leader Denis Pushilin has said.

On Thursday, Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov, said that 55 Russian, DPR and LPR soldiers, who faced "mortal danger in captivity," were brought to Russia as a result of an exchange of prisoners of war with Ukraine. Pushilin told the media afterwards that 215 men, among them members of nationalist battalions were released to Kiev as a result of the swap deal. He also said that 56 men were released by Ukraine: 55 military personnel, including 50 from Russia and five more from the Donbass: four DPR privates and an LPR corporal, as well as Ukrainian politician Viktor Medvedchuk.

"Some of our guys are still captivity in Ukraine. We have far more Ukrainian POWs, which made it possible to follow this formula. Many were asking questions why it was not a one-for-one exchange. Here we need to be guided by the existing situation and the existence of a reserve for the exchange. I'm talking about this particular swap," he said on Rossiya-24 TV channel.

At the same time, he stressed that the DPR will continue to work for rescuing its military personnel from Ukrainian captivity.

"In the future, as soon as there is a chance to get our guys out, we will be doing that," he stressed.