Over 2,800 Ukrainians, including around 1,020 troops, released by militias, Kyiv says
KYIV. Aug 17 (Interfax) - Donbas militias have by now released 2,852 Ukrainians, including 1,018 military service members, said Iryna Herashchenko, a parliamentarian (Petro Poroshenko Bloc) who represents Ukraine in the Trilateral Contact Group's humanitarian subgroup.
The total figure includes 1,018 military service members, 37 volunteers, 257 National Guard members, 25 border guards, 100 policemen, over 1,300 civilians; doctors and journalists are also on the list, she said. Some 171 Ukrainians, including over 50 civilians, are still held captive, Herashchenko wrote on her Facebook page on Monday.
According to the latest figures, 846 people are missing and eleven more Ukrainians are jailed in Russia, she said.
The parliamentarian recalled that almost a year ago, in September 2014, the Ukrainian Security Service set up an inter-agency center to coordinate its efforts with the Defense Ministry, the Interior Ministry, the National Guard and border guards to gather information on hostages and missing persons.
"Over the year, the Inter-Agency Center received, via a hotline, 2,482 reports about missing or captured persons and had face-to-face meetings with 1,187 citizens who provided information about their friends and relatives," Herashchenko said.
