Ukraine, Rebels Complete Prisoner Swap Under Deal With Putin
- Russian-backed rebels returned 76 captives: Zelenskiy’s office
- Ukraine transferred 127 prisoners to Donbas, Hromadske reports
Former Ukrainian prisoners walk out of a bus following a prisoner exchange between Ukraine and pro-Russian rebels near the Mayorsk checkpoint on Dec. 29.
Photographer: Genya Savilov/AFP via Getty Images
Ukraine and two breakaway regions supported by the Kremlin exchanged prisoners on Sunday under an agreement reached with Russian President Vladimir Putin earlier this month as the former allies seek an end to more than five years of war in the Donbas area.
Ukraine received 76 captives from the Russian-backed rebels, President Volodymyr Zelenskiy’s office said Sunday when announcing the completion of the swap. Ukraine returned 127 captives to the self-proclaimed Donetsk and Luhansk republics, Ukrainian Hromadske TV reported, citing Serhiy Sivokho, adviser to the head of the National Security and Defense Council.