- Title: Ukraine president's office says no prisoner swap with Russia yet
- Date: 30th August 2019
- Summary: KIEV, UKRAINE (AUGUST 30, 2019) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF KIEV INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT JOURNALISTS IN AIRPORT FATHER OF JAILED UKRAINIAN SAILOR VASYL SOROKA, VIKTOR SOROKA, SAYING HE HAS NO INFORMATION AND ADVISOR TO NAVY CHIEF, VIKTORIYA KHRYSTENKO, SAYING: 'PLEASE LET'S WAIT TILL THEY WALK OUT' VARIOUS OF PASSENGERS AND JOURNALIST IN AIRPORT ARRIVALS BOARD
- Embargoed: 13th September 2019 09:03
- Keywords: Ukraine Russia prisoner swap sailors filmmaker Oleg Sentsov Ukraine general prosecutor
- Location: MOSCOW, RUSSIA AND KERCH STRAIT, CRIMEA AND INTERNET AND KIEV, UKRAINE
- City: MOSCOW, RUSSIA AND KERCH STRAIT, CRIMEA AND INTERNET AND KIEV, UKRAINE
- Country: Ukraine
- Topics: Diplomacy/Foreign Policy,Government/Politics
- Reuters ID: LVA002AUET7BB
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: EDITORS PLEASE NOTE: FOR FILE FOOTAGE OF UKRAINIAN FILM DIRECTOR OLEG SENTSOV DURING HIS TRIAL IN RUSSIA SEE EDIT 5067-UKRAINE-CRISIS/RUSSIA-SENTSOV-FILE
The office of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy on Friday (August 30) said no prisoner swap had taken place with Russia yet and the process was ongoing, after an earlier Facebook post by Ukraine's general prosecutor suggested a swap had been completed.
Ukraine is hoping to secure the release of dozens of prisoners, including 24 sailors who were detained by Russia in the Kerch Strait last year, and filmmaker Oleg Sentsov.
"The process of the prisoner swap is ongoing. Information that it has been completed is untrue," the president's office said in a statement. Russia's Interfax news agency also cited a source in Moscow denying that an exchange had taken place.
Ukraine's general prosecutor had earlier reposted a comment on Facebook that the sailors and Sentsov were flying back from Russia after a prisoner swap had been completed.
Russia had transferred Sentsov from a remote Arctic prison to custody in Moscow amid talks with Kiev on a possible prisoner swap, news agencies TASS and Interfax reported on Thursday.
A Ukrainian court also freed a senior Russian journalist accused of supporting pro-Russian separatists.
Securing a prisoner swap would be a win for Zelenskiy, who became president this year promising to bring an end to the conflict in eastern Ukraine.
Ukrainian troops have been battling Russian-backed forces in the Donbass region of eastern Ukraine since 2014, in a conflict that has claimed more than 13,000 lives. Sporadic fighting continues despite a ceasefire agreement.
Russia is holding dozens of Ukrainian captives from the conflict. Oleksandr Danylyuk, a top Ukrainian security official, told Ukrainian media he hoped the prisoner swap might happen on Friday, but added:
"We have to wait for the exchange and then comment."
(Production: Margaryta Chornokondratenko, Maria Vasilyeva) - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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