Last Friday, a prisoner exchange between Lugansk People’s Republic (LPR) and Kiev was supposed to happen, but never took place.
LPR soldiers hugging a freed comrade last September
According to declarations provided by Olga Kobtseva, LPR representative in the Contact Group’s subgroup on humanitarian issues and prisoner exchanges, it all happened due to Kiev’s intervention that ended up frustrating the release of five Ukrainian citizens as agreed at the subgroup’s meeting in Minsk on October the 6th.
Prisoner exchange program between Ukraine and Lugansk Republic is part of the agreements reached in Minsk on February this same year.
The withdrawal of heavy weaponry, a cease fire declaration from February 15th, and a long-term political settlement of the situation in Ukraine are also included in the Package of Measures signed after several meetings among Russia, Germany, France and Ukraine’s leaders.
It’s been reported that both DPR (Donetsk People’s Republic) and LPR have released more than 300 prisoners altogether since the official prisoner exchange campaign started, meanwhile, Ukraine has freed 287 people.
Written by Lisbeth Mechter