Ukraine's Security Service ready to hand over 225 people to militia on Wednesday
KYIV. Dec 24 (Interfax) - The Ukrainian Security Service has confirmed its readiness to hand over to representatives of the self-proclaimed Donetsk and Luhansk People's Republics over 200 people detained by the special service.
"We are ready to hand 225 people over to the militants today," Markiyan Lubkivsky, an adviser to the head of the Ukrainian Security Service, told a briefing on Wednesday.
"It's the number of people who are undergoing appropriate procedures in our law enforcement bodies. We are working with the prosecutors to conduct this procedure," he said.
Lubkivsky said Ukraine will be ready to hand these people over "as soon as the other side is ready."
Responding to a question as to whether there are Russian citizens among these 225 people, he said: "Yes, there are such people."
Lubkivsky did not specify how many Ukrainians will be released in the "all for all" format, saying only that it will be some 150-200 people.
Lubkivsky recalled that the militia have now released 1,351 Ukrainians.