DPR hopes for further POW exchanges with Kyiv
MOSCOW. Jan 16 (Interfax) - The ombudsperson of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic (DPR), Darya Morozova, is hopeful that POW exchanges will resume with the Ukrainian side.
"Regrettably, it is still too early to speak about a date for the next POW exchange because the Ukrainian side is conducting necessary procedures in relation to people mentioned in our lists. But, hopefully, such exchanges will resume in the near future and will proceed as promptly as before," Morozova was quoted as saying by the Novorossiya news agency.
It is premature to say when POW exchanges could end because every day relatives of militiamen report the detentions of more people allegedly involved in fighting, she said.
"A total of 222 people were handed over to us. Of them, 32 were actually members of the DPR militia, and another 16 were identified as members of a sabotage group. Their identities have already been established. Seven people have already been detained. The whereabouts of the remaining nine are being established. The other POWs are civilians who are not indifferent to the events in Donbas and delivered humanitarian aid to Donetsk," Morozova said.