A prisoner of war (POW) from the Ukrainian armed forces reacts after leaving a bus during the exchange of captives near the city of Bakhmut in Donetsk region, Ukraine December 27, 2017. REUTERS/Valentyn Ogirenko
December 27, 2017
MOSCOW (Reuters) – Ukrainian government forces and pro-Russian rebels in eastern Ukraine have begun a major prisoner swap, Russian news agencies reported on Wednesday.
The exchange was reported to be the largest since a pro-Russian uprising erupted in eastern Ukraine in 2014, sparking a conflict in which more than 10,000 people have been killed.
Under the terms of the deal, Kiev will hand over 306 prisoners to the rebels and receive 74 prisoners in return, the Interfax news agency reported.
(Writing by Polina Ivanova; Editing by Andrew Osborn)
