Prisoner Swap Between Ukraine and Occupied Donbas to Take Place on Maundy Thursday

15 April 2020 15:50

Previous prisoner exchange at the Mayorske checkpoint, Donetsk region, December 29, 2019.Presidential Office

According to preliminary information, the next exchange of detained persons between Ukraine and the so—called Luhansk and Donetsk “people’s republics” will take place on April 16.

According to preliminary information, the next exchange of detained persons between Ukraine and the so-called Luhansk and Donetsk “people’s republics” will take place on April 16.

This was reported by sources at the OSCE mission in the Donbas and the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine.

The exchange is scheduled for 4 p.m. Kyiv time at the Mayorske entry-exit checkpoint in the Donetsk region.

Due to quarantine, journalists will not be allowed to cover the process, only the camera of the Office of the President of Ukraine will be placed at the location.

This comes after some rumors that the exchange would begin on April 15 appeared, but which were swiftly rebutted by Volodymyr Zelenskyy's Office.

“The approval of the [exchange] list and logistics is ongoing. The swap will take place in the near future,” the President’s Office said.

The mutual exchange of prisoners before the Eastern Orthodox Easter (April 19) was agreed on by the parties to the Trilateral Contact Group at the latest teleconference meeting on April 8.

The so-called "ombudspersons" of the self-proclaimed “DPR” and “LPR”, Darya Morozova and Olga Kobtseva, named lists of people who could be transferred to Ukraine during the course of the upcoming swap on April 2.

The so-called "DPR" are ready to release the following prisoners:

Oleksandr Alakoz, born July 26, 1991;

Mykola Hrynenko, born June 9,1998;

Mykola Ilyukhin, born November 25, 1959;

Volodymyr Karas, born June 29, 1968;

Yevhen Kostiev, born May 05, 1980;

Oleksandr Pomeliayko, born September 21, 1986;

Oleksandr Sadovskyi, born May 12, 1976;

Viktor Shaydov, born October 27, 1970.

The "LPR" may exchange the following people:

V.A. Zheldak;

V.V. Mozhayev;

S.V. Myronych;

N.N. Polozov;

A.A. Popova;

S.V. Rusynov;

I.D. Slyvka;

A.D. Slyvka;

A.E. Tabachnyi;

A.P. Shtyl;

A.A. Yakovenko.

Minister for Reintegration of the Occupied Territories Oleksiy Reznikovlater said to hromadske that these citizens will be subject to a 14-day observation during which they will not be able to see their relatives.