Chesnakov: Next stage Kyiv-Donbas prisoner swap
MOSCOW. Sept 7 (Interfax) - The detainee swap between Kyiv and Donbas may precede the swap between Russia and Ukraine, Center for Current Politics Director Alexei Chesnakov told Interfax.
"The work to release the detainees will continue. The next stage is the prisoner swap between the parties to the conflict, Kyiv and the [self-proclaimed] people's republics of Donbas. It is being negotiated in the Contact Group in Minsk," Chesnakov said.
Russia has been seeking the swap of "all approved persons for all approved persons" for a long time, he said.
"Of course, all for all must be swapped in the future, but it will take a great deal of time to compare the lists presented by the parties. At least all those who were approved could be returned now. There are over 200 of those who must be returned home. About 70 of them are in Kyiv and some 200 in the Donbas republics," he said.