Ukraine included in the exchange lists people who have been free for a long time
The DPR and LPR do not understand why the adviser to the head of the SBU, Yuri Tandit, who said that Kiev hopes to resume the prisoner exchange process in the coming days, pins his hopes on, since it was on the initiative of the Ukrainian side that this process reached a dead end, and it is not yet clear. what can get him off the ground, Izvestia writes.
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“It’s strange to hear statements about hopes for unfreezing the prisoner exchange process from a person who is involved in freezing it,” Vladislav Deinego, deputy chairman of the People’s Council of the LPR, was surprised in a conversation with the publication. – Unfortunately, Ukraine categorically does not want to act normally in these matters. There is only one condition for resuming the process: the Ukrainian side will begin to do something to solve this problem. Now they do not provide the necessary lists, do not coordinate any actions, but only imitate vigorous activity, including with such statements. Personally, I have a desire to find those who can stimulate the Ukrainian side, but so far it’s not possible. There is nothing behind Tandit’s statements, they are absolutely unfounded, and all the problems lie in their unconstructive approach.”
In turn, the Chairman of the People's Council of the DPR, Denis Pushilin, said that in the Donbass they also hope to unfreeze the process, but so far Kyiv is preventing this in every possible way.
“We hope too. But at the moment, it is Ukraine that is blocking the exchange. To this day, the Ukrainian side has not submitted official lists of those whom it is now ready to release. This was spoken out, there is some preliminary understanding, but this figure must be filled with surnames in order for there to be a specific subject for discussion. Kyiv does not provide this and even blocks some previously reached agreements,” Pushilin emphasized.
At the same time, DPR People's Council deputy Miroslav Rudenko told Izvestia that the preliminary lists received from Ukraine included people who had long been exchanged.
“The reason for the slowdown in the Minsk process is Ukraine’s position, which is often unfounded. Kyiv is absolutely freezing work in various subgroups, including on the issue of prisoner exchange. Although this condition is in the Minsk Protocol, and work was carried out in this regard, there were successful exchanges. For the last six months, for unknown reasons, Ukraine has been sabotaging the process. In fact, there were frauds with the lists. The lists they presented included people who had been free for a long time. This information was received literally two weeks ago from our ombudsman. After studying the lists, he discovered 40 people who had long been exchanged.
The Ukrainian Security Service is taking a big part in this, preventing the process from proceeding normally. I see this as an attempt to gain political benefits from this “game” with prisoners. Although we have long been ready to carry out an exchange on the “all for all” principle, which was written down in the Minsk agreements,” Rudenko noted.
Ukraine has included people who have long been free on its prisoner exchange lists.