Three Ukrainians freed from LPR captivity
The President of Ukraine, Petro Poroshenko, has confirmed that three prisoners have been released by militants of the so-called Lugansk People’s Republic (LPR). The exchange was conducted as per the “six for three” practice. He received this information from the Security Service of Ukraine (SSU).
On the 26th of February, Poroshenko posted on Facebook that the three released prisoners were on their way home.
Kiev and separatists of the Lugansk region discussed the details of the exchange at a contact group meeting in Minsk on Wednesday. A special envoy of the OSCE in the contact group, Zaydik Martin, said that the exchange would follow the “eight to four” format. The so-called LPR agreed with this format. Separatist media later confirmed that Kiev had freed four women and two men, while the so-called LPR had freed three men.
Interfax reported that the exchange took place on a bridge near the town of Shchastya in the Lugansk region. The exchange proceeded under the supervision of the Special Monitoring Mission of the OSCE, the International Committee of the Red Cross and the press.