Kyiv: 235 Ukrainians are held captive in DPR and LPR
As of August 14, 235 people are being held captive in the so-called Donetsk and Luhansk People’s republics, said the Ukrainian Security Service (SBU) , as quoted by Radio Svoboda.
"The release of Ukrainian citizens, who have been illegally deprived of their liberty by the law enforcement and judicial bodies of the Russian Federation, is brought to the level of international contacts and is closely followed by of the Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs," the SBU said.
As of April 30, according to the Ukrainian Security Service, 241 people were considered illegally imprisoned in the territories of the Donbas which are not under Kyiv’s control, and in early 2020 - 184.
In mid-July, the head of the Presidential Office Andrei Yaemak said that the next exchange of detainees will take place in the near future.
The last prisoner exchange in Donbas took place on April 16. The Ukrainian president's office said that 20 Ukrainians had been released from captivity. The Russian-controlled DPR and LPR said that the Ukrainian side handed over 14 people.