Ukraine and pro-Russia rebels 'sign ceasefire deal'
Source: BBC
The Ukrainian government and pro-Russia rebels meeting in Minsk have signed a preliminary protocol to start a ceasefire, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko says.
He said that the truce would start at 15:00 GMT. The announcement came after reports of further clashes in the east.
Western countries are meanwhile working on further sanctions against Russia.
The West accuses Russia of sending arms and troops to back the rebels in eastern Ukraine. Moscow denies this.
Read more: http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-29082574
= new reply since forum marked as read
Highlight:
NoneDon't highlight anything
5 newestHighlight 5 most recent replies
bemildred
(90,061 posts)MINSK, Belarus (AP) -- Ukraine and the Russian-backed rebels have signed a cease-fire deal that starts in less than two hours, a European official at the talks said Friday.
The announcement by OSCE's Heidi Tagliavini came as representatives of Ukraine, Russia, pro-Russian rebels and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe met in the Belarusian capital of Minsk. She said the cease-fire would start at 1500 GMT (11 a.m. EDT).
Since mid-April, Moscow-backed separatists have been fighting government troops in eastern Ukraine in a conflict the U.N. estimates has killed nearly 2,600 people. On Thursday, a NATO military officer told The Associated Press that the ranks of Russian soldiers directly involved in the conflict have grown.
Earlier Friday, Associated Press reporters heard heavy shelling north and east of Mariupol. The key southeastern port of about 500,000 lies on the Sea of Azov, between Russia to the east and the Crimean Peninsula to the west, which Russia annexed in March. The shelling appeared to indicate that rebels had partially surrounded the area and were probing its defenses.
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/E/EU_UKRAINE?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2014-09-05-09-31-11
Tommy_Carcetti
(43,182 posts)But I doubt the integrity of the separatists. Not to mention their Russian facilitators/collaborators.
bemildred
(90,061 posts)At best, it will take a while for the fighting to stop. People don't get the word, people don't want to quit. But they will run out of fuel and ammo and things and be forced to quit. We will see if the military command authority on each side has any effect. There is a complete lack of trust, as you point out, probably well-founded mistrust too.
kelliekat44
(7,759 posts)
bemildred
(90,061 posts)NEWPORT, Wales, Sept 5 (Reuters) - Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko said prisoners could be freed as early as Saturday under a ceasefire agreement reached with pro-Russian rebels and Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday.
Poroshenko said 12 steps, including a decentralisation of powers, had been agreed to bring peace and stability to the mostly Russian-speaking eastern Ukrainian regions of Donetsk and Lugansk with a concrete timetable for implementation.
"We are expecting, in the very near future, the release of hostages, most probably it will happen tomorrow," Poroshenko, speaking English, told reporters on the sidelines of a NATO summit in Wales. "This is based... on my peace plan."
Ukraine was ready to grant a significant decentralisation of power and economic freedom to the regions as well as the right to use the language of their choice and an amnesty as part of a political settlement, he said.
http://www.trust.org/item/20140905150243-olr50/
bemildred
(90,061 posts)(Reuters) - Three explosions were heard north of the city of Donetsk on Friday, minutes after a ceasefire agreed between Kiev and pro-Russian rebels went into force in Ukraine, a Reuters correspondent reported from the scene.
Two unidentified rebel fighters told Reuters they had received an order for a ceasefire.
The ceasefire deal agreed at talks in Minsk includes a prisoner exchange, while armed forces on both sides are to remain in their current positions, a source close to talks had said on earlier on Friday. (Reporting By Gabriela Baczynska, Writing by Alexei Anishchuk, Editing by Lidia Kelly)
http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/09/05/ukraine-crisis-ceasefire-explosions-idUSL5N0R63FV20140905?rpc=401
bemildred
(90,061 posts)MINSK, Belarus (AP) -- A cease-fire took hold Friday night in eastern Ukraine after the president's representative signed a deal with Russian-backed separatists in an effort to bring an end to nearly five months of fighting.
President Petro Poroshenko said he ordered government forces to stop hostilities at 6 p.m. following a protocol signed by representatives of Ukraine, Russia, the rebels and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe at talks Friday in Minsk, the Belarusian capital.
"Human life is of the highest value. And we need to do everything that is possible and impossible to stop the bloodshed and end people's suffering," Poroshenko said in a statement.
The Donetsk separatists said on Twitter that they also have ceased fire.
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/E/EU_UKRAINE?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2014-09-05-13-00-26
bemildred
(90,061 posts)NEW YORK, Sept 5 (KUNA) -- UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon welcomed the positive news that todayآ’s consultations between the Contact Group and representatives of armed groups have resulted in the agreement of cease-fire in Ukraine.
Ban welcomed the recent discussions between the Presidents of Ukraine and Russia that have played a part in todayآ’s breakthrough and strongly encourages those contacts to continue, the secretary general's spokesman said.
The UN official also stressed that credible and comprehensive monitoring and verification are essential elements for successful implementation of the cease-fire and the peace plan, as he encouraged all who committed to the agreement to display good will and take concrete steps towards urgent, full and effective implementation.
Furthermore, Ban called on the entire international community to rally behind these agreements to serve the interests of a sustainable peace based on a solution that leads to full respect of Ukraine's territorial integrity and sovereignty.
http://www.kuna.net.kw/ArticleDetails.aspx?id=2395370&Language=en
bemildred
(90,061 posts)NEWPORT, Wales, Sept 5 (Reuters) - NATO stands by a 1997 agreement on cooperation with Russia even though Moscow has breached it through its actions in Ukraine, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Friday.
She told a news conference that leaders of the 28-nation alliance agreed at a summit in Wales that the NATO-Russia Founding Act remained a key part of Europe's security architecture. Cooperation was suspended in March after Russia seized and annexed Crimea from Ukraine.
Merkel said new European Union sanctions, due to be adopted on Friday over what she called Russia's illegal troop presence in eastern Ukraine, could be suspended if a promised ceasefire materialised and the crisis de-escalated. (Reporting by Sabine Siebold; Writing by Paul Taylor)
http://www.trust.org/item/20140905123924-yaoe9/
bemildred
(90,061 posts)The ferocity of the attack on the fleeing Ukrainian troops was clear, days after the ambush by Russian-backed separatist forces.
More than 30 military vehicles lay in charred piles Tuesday. Villagers said dozens were killed, and some remained unburied. One soldier was blown out of his armored vehicle — apparently by a shell — his body left dangling from power lines high above.
The rout early Sunday near the village of Novokaterynivka marked a major intensification in the rebel offensive, one that the Ukrainian government, NATO and the United States say has been sustained by Russia's direct military support.
Moscow has stepped up its harsh rhetoric as well. A leaked report said European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso said President Vladimir Putin told him that Russia could take over Kiev "in two weeks" if it wished.
http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/ukraine-military-routed-russia-talks-tough-25269607
bemildred
(90,061 posts)Until recently there was fighting in eastern Ukraine while the two sides were struggling to reach a ceasefire agreement in the Belarusian capital Minsk. With massive Russian support, the separatists have pushed the front south of Donetsk in the past few days, capturing the strategically important city of Mariupol. Under this military pressure, Kyiv agreed to a ceasefire. For the people who continue to hold out in the region, it is good news - as well as for the soldiers in a Ukrainian army on the defensive.
Ukraine had no choice. In fact, it capitulated to Russia's superiority. Russia's role is now far too great, with tanks, rockets and more and more new soldiers. The cynical and dishonest Kremlin continues to deny this is the case. But that it continues to lead the war in Ukraine is now well documented. Russian soldiers were captured and the fallen are buried in Russian cemeteries. Braver elements of the Russian media and the Union of the Committees of Soldiers' Mothers of Russia have now reported it even inside Russia.
With the ceasefire, Ukrainian President Poroshenko made a decision under duress. But it makes sense and there is no alternative. The war cannot be won militarily. Poroshenko knows that, so he wants to end the killing. But Russia demands a high price: the areas of Donetsk and Luhansk will remain in the hands of the separatists. A "security zone," from which the Ukrainian army must withdraw will be created at the request of the Kremlin. This moves Moscow one step closer to its goal: the conflict can be frozen and the region will in the long run remain outside the control of Kyiv.
Poroshenko is receiving criticism in Ukraine, even from within his own government. Reports of success had fueled army hopes for a military solution to the crisis. It was not just nationalists who protested against Poroshenko's decision. Many Ukrainians were disappointed. Some regard Poroshenko and his government's orientation towards Europe as the wrong choice, and that the Kremlin may be in the right. Moscow is probably hoping that, a few weeks ahead of planned parliamentary elections, the domestic political climate in Ukraine will continue to heat up and that the democratic reform process fails.
http://www.dw.de/opinion-ceasefire-in-ukraine-the-war-isnt-over/a-17904922?maca=en-rss-en-eu-2092-rdf
bemildred
(90,061 posts)"An iron curtain has descended across the continent" - Sir Winston Churchill, Fulton, Missouri, 1946
Kicked out of power nine months earlier, Winston Churchill's vision was still clear when he warned of the "iron curtain" that divided Europe with the emergence of the postwar Soviet empire. Warsaw Pact on the right of your map, democracies on your left. The phrase stuck.
So, is the curtain back now?
Well, there are differences. For one thing, this one's not made of iron; in fact, it's downright mushy in the middle. For another, the Soviet empire is history. We hope.
One thing hasn't changed though: The line still runs to the west of Ukraine. Having lunged to cross to the western side, it seems Ukraine is still on the eastern one.
You don't have to be a Churchill to see what's been happening — certainly not after the NATO summit in Wales this week. Simply put, the Western allies are more than happy to make speeches about how very resolute they are — Churchillian, even — in defence of Ukraine.
http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/ukraine-crisis-nato-agrees-to-cheer-for-kyiv-but-not-much-more-1.2756406
bemildred
(90,061 posts)The government of Malaysia is sending a team to the MH17 crash site in eastern Ukraine to find conclusive evidence to help its argument that the plane was shot down.
Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak confirmed today, in a joint press conference with visiting Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott, that the search team would be deployed before winter.
“That's why we are very, very keen to re-enter the crash site before winter sets in. We need at least a few weeks not only to search for the body parts of victims but to assemble physical evidence,” Mr Razak said.
“Once that process is completed, we will look at the criminal side, who is responsible for this atrocious crime.”
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/asia/mh17-malaysia-sending-search-team-to-crash-site-before-winter-to-gather-evidence-9716103.html
bemildred
(90,061 posts)MOSCOW - Russia's Foreign Ministry vowed on Saturday to react if the European Union implements new sanctions against Moscow over its role in the Ukraine crisis.
The EU announced the additional measures late on Friday but said they could be suspended if Moscow withdraws its troops from Ukraine and observes a newly agreed ceasefire in eastern Ukraine.
The new sanctions include adding a further 24 people to a list of people barred from entry to the 28-nation bloc and whose assets are frozen. They are due to be implemented on Monday.
"If they (new sanctions) are implemented of course there will be a reaction from our side," the ministry said in a statement. — Reuters
http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/story/378083/news/world/russia-will-react-if-eu-implements-new-sanctions-foreign-ministry
bemildred
(90,061 posts)The Hungarian forint has ended its eleventh straight week of losses as escalating tensions on the Russia-Ukraine border have badly hit Hungary's trade.
The USD/HUF pair on Friday rose to as high as 242.695, a 27-month high, but the overall drop in the euro pushed the EUR/HUF cross to 313.65 compared to the 26-month high of 317.35, touched in the first week of August.
Escalating geopolitical unrest in Russia and Ukraine as well as the Middle East has been weakening emerging market currencies broadly, but Hungary has even more reasons to worry over the Russia-Ukraine issues.
Hungary shares a border with Ukraine and its exports to Russia amounted to 753 billion forint ($3.2bn) last year, according to government data.
http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/hungarys-forint-plunges-27-month-low-ukraine-unrest-hits-trade-1464312
bemildred
(90,061 posts)Czech President Milos Zeman sparked a testy exchange with Swedish Foreign Minister Carl Bildt this week at the NATO summit in Wales, declaring that Prague had not yet seen "clear proof" of Russia's intervention in Ukraine.
"President Zeman should ask his own people," Bildt retorted. "I don't know if the Czech Republic has an intelligence service. It does? Then he should ask them."
The spat underscores a development that has surprised many in the West: Some countries on NATO's eastern fringe seem decidedly unconcerned by Russia's intervention in Ukraine and its generally belligerent stance.
http://www.rferl.org/content/russia-europe-divisions-ukraine-czech-hungary-poland-slovakia/26569958.html
bemildred
(90,061 posts)An uneasy calm prevailed in eastern Ukraine on Saturday after Ukrainian forces and pro-Russian separatists signed a ceasefire as part of a drive to end a war that has triggered a deep crisis in relations between Russia and the West.
The peace roadmap, approved by envoys in Minsk on Friday, includes the exchange of prisoners-of-war. A separatist leader said this process would begin later on Saturday, though the Ukrainian side said details were still being worked out.
The two sides remain far apart on the future status of the rebel-held areas in eastern Ukraine and both residents and combatants said they did not expect the ceasefire to last long, but there were no reports of serious violations on Saturday.
"The forces of the anti-terrorist operation support the ceasefire and are closely observing the order of the commander-in-chief," the spokesman for Ukraine's National Security and Defence Council, Andriy Lysenko, told a daily briefing in Kiev.
http://www.independent.ie/world-news/europe/ceasefire-continues-in-ukraine-and-both-sides-plan-exchange-of-pows-30566764.html
Bosonic
(3,746 posts)https://twitter.com/RolandOliphant/status/508348662930759680
https://twitter.com/MarQs__/status/508360129692303360
bemildred
(90,061 posts)(Reuters) - Ukrainian government forces came under artillery fire late on Saturday near the strategic port of Mariupol in eastern Ukraine, in the first serious violation of a ceasefire declared only about 30 hours earlier.
The presidents of Russia and Ukraine had earlier said the ceasefire, part of a peace road-map intended to end five months of conflict, was largely holding across eastern Ukraine, where Kiev's forces have been battling pro-Russian separatists.
A Reuters reporter heard prolonged artillery fire late on Saturday to the east of Mariupol, a key flashpoint in the past week of fighting, and then saw a truck, a gas station and an industrial facility ablaze within the limits of the city.
The reporter also saw trucks rushing eastwards conveying agitated-looking pro-government militia volunteers. Tanks and armored personnel carriers also headed in the same direction.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/09/06/us-ukraine-crisis-idUSKBN0GZ18D20140906
bemildred
(90,061 posts)A BBC correspondent in the city says intense blasts from the eastern edges have rippled across the city.
Earlier, the Ukrainian and Russian presidents said the ceasefire in eastern Ukraine was "largely holding".
The Red Cross said aid trucks heading for the rebel-held city of Luhansk had turned back because of shelling.
The ceasefire deal was signed during talks between representatives of Ukraine, Russia, the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) and pro-Russia rebels in Belarus and came into effect at 15:00 GMT on Friday.
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-29097836
bemildred
(90,061 posts)SPARTAK, Ukraine - Clashes broke out Sunday outside the main rebel-held city in war-ravaged eastern Ukraine, throwing the freshly forged cease-fire agreement between government troops and Russian-backed separatists into further doubt.
At least two houses blazed in the rural village of Spartak, which lies just north of Donetsk and adjacent to the airport, after they were hit by fire. A man whose house was struck by a shell said rebels had fired from a spot nearby, which appeared to have provoked a retaliatory attack from Ukrainian government troops. This pattern has been regularly observed in the nearly five-month-long military confrontation.
A group of rebel fighters in the village danced and drank Sunday morning in celebration after what they said was a successful assault on a Ukrainian military encampment in the vicinity. One said their group had captured eight government troops, although none of these captives could be seen.
The fighter, who provided only the nom de guerre Khokhol, freely acknowledged that the cease-fire was not being respected by either side.
http://www.cbsnews.com/news/ukraine-cease-fire-appears-to-unravel-in-rebel-stronghold/
bemildred
(90,061 posts)Clashes broke out Sunday outside the main rebel-held city in eastern Ukraine, throwing the freshly forged ceasefire agreement between government troops and Russian-backed separatists into further doubt.
At least two houses blazed in the rural village of Spartak, which lies just north of Donetsk and adjacent to the airport, after they were hit by fire. A man whose house was struck by a shell said rebels had fired from a spot nearby, which appeared to have provoked a retaliatory attack from Ukrainian government troops. This pattern has been regularly observed in the nearly five-month-long military confrontation.
A group of rebel fighters in the village danced and drank Sunday morning in celebration after what they said was a successful assault on a Ukrainian military encampment in the vicinity. One said their group had captured eight government troops, although none of these captives could be seen.
http://www.cbc.ca/news/world/ukraine-crisis-renewed-fighting-threatens-fragile-ceasefire-1.2758330?cmp=rss
bemildred
(90,061 posts)Since 2008, Russia has made it plain that any effort by Ukraine to become part of the Western strategic bloc (EU and NATO) would be a cause for a hostile strategic response.
The essence of President Putin’s thinking is as follows. The Treaty of Minsk signed in 1991 between Russia, Ukraine and Belarus recognized independence of the three states, but in the framework of a “common military strategic space”. The Treaty’s two-sentence section recognizing the territorial integrity of each includes a specific reference to open borders between them. President Putin had a vision of Ukraine as part of the Eurasian Economic Union, not the EU.
Here is the sequence of some of the key events as Putin sees them.
In 1999, the European Union and NATO engineered the further dismemberment of Yugoslavia, including through military operations that he believes were illegal. In 2004, NATO admitted seven new members, including countries that directly bordered on Russian territory, a move Russia claims was in breach of a specific pledge by Germany that it would not support such expansion. NATO territory now came to sit within 150km by land of St Petersburg, a city which saw the deaths of 1.5 million Soviet citizens (civilian and military) during a 27-month German siege in the last war. As a result of the NATO expansion, Russia drew a red line: it would never tolerate Ukrainian membership of the EU and NATO. It sought negotiations on a new European security treaty that NATO repeatedly rebuffed.
http://www.neurope.eu/article/russia-likely-move-against-odessa
bemildred
(90,061 posts)(Reuters) - Rebel leaders in eastern Ukraine are preparing to exchange prisoners with Ukrainian forces on Wednesday, a senior pro-Russian separatist leader was quoted as saying on Monday.
Interfax news agency cited Andrei Purgin, who took part in talks at which a ceasefire deal was agreed with Kiev on Friday, said he hoped an "all-for-all" exchange would go ahead. Plans to exchange captives were agreed during Friday's talks. (Writing by Timothy Heritage, Editing by Thomas Grove)
http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/09/08/ukraine-crisis-prisoners-idUSL5N0R915220140908?rpc=401&feedType=RSS&feedName=bondsNews&rpc=401
bemildred
(90,061 posts)The disruption to Ukrainian coal mines and coal production in the eastern Donbass region, caused by the deepening conflict between Ukrainian forces and pro-Russian separatists, has led to a severe shortage of coal.
According to Reuters, in face of this coal shortage, prime minister of Ukraine, Arseny Yatseniuk, said the country would import 1 million t of coal from South Africa.
"They [the rebels] bombed our main coal mines [...] and so the government has already signed an agreement on the supply of one million tonnes of coal from South Africa," Yatseniuk told a televised cabinet session.
http://www.worldcoal.com/news/coal/articles/Ukraine-imports-coal-from-South-Africa-1295.aspx
bemildred
(90,061 posts)The number of people confirmed killed in the Ukraine conflict has risen above 3,000 if the victims of the MH17 plane crash are included, a senior UN human rights official said on Monday.
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/sep/08/ukraine-conflict-death-toll-rises-above-3000-united-nations
bemildred
(90,061 posts)The ceasefire was holding on Monday, after what Kyiv said was sporadic rebel shelling overnight.
"Overall the ceasefire held even though it is still shaky," said Ambassador Thomas Greminger of Switzerland, who chairs the Organization for Cooperation in Europe (OSCE). The OSCE is currently overseeing the Ukraine ceasefire, which took effect on Friday evening.
The deal will include an exchange of prisoners. A senior separatist leader on Monday was quoted as saying the expected "all-for-all" swap would take place Wednesday.
Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko is set to visit the coastal city of Mariupol on Monday. The strategic port, located on the Sea of Azov, was the site of fighting over the weekend that killed one woman and threatened to derail the tentative truce.
http://www.dw.de/shaky-truce-holds-in-ukraine-as-un-raises-death-toll/a-17907854?maca=en-rss-en-eu-2092-rdf
bemildred
(90,061 posts)Crash investigators will publish a preliminary report tomorrow on the downing of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 over Ukraine.
The report will be issued by the Dutch Safety Board (DSB), which is leading the investigation into the disaster, in which 10 Britons were among the 298 people killed.
The DSB has said: "The preliminary report will present factual information based on the sources available to the DSB. In the months to come, further investigation is needed before the final report can be written."
The DSB expects to publish the final report within a year after the crash.
http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/world-news/early-report-on-shot-down-plane-30569782.html
bemildred
(90,061 posts)KIEV, Ukraine -- A cease-fire between pro-Russian rebels and Ukrainian government troops appeared to be largely holding Monday in eastern Ukraine, a day after shelling and clashes rattled nerves and imperiled the peace deal.
In a surprise announcement, Ukrainian president Petro Poroshenko was traveling Monday to the embattled coastal city of Mariupol, the regional administration of Donetsk said. That trip would be a symbolic show of strength in a strategic government-held area that has come under rebel fire in recent days, and proves Kiev is unlikely to willingly loosen what remains of its grip over the rebellious east.
The city council of Donetsk said there had been no reported casualties overnight and it expected public transport to be running on Tuesday. No shelling or explosions were heard overnight in downtown Donetsk.
Col. Andriy Lysenko, a spokesman for Ukraine's National Security Council, told reporters Monday there had been about half a dozen rebel violations of the cease-fire. But he said no servicemen had been killed in the past day and rebel forces had stopped using heavy artillery, only mortar and rifle fire.
http://www.miamiherald.com/2014/09/08//v-fullstory/4335216/cease-fire-holds-in-eastern-ukraine.html
bemildred
(90,061 posts)BERLIN, Sept 8 (Reuters) - A ceasefire agreed between Ukrainian government forces and pro-Russian separatists is not sufficient as other issues including border control and the exchange of prisoners still need to be addressed, a German government spokesman said on Monday.
"It's not just about this one issue of a ceasefire. There's a long list of things that were agreed to and which need to be implemented, not just the ceasefire," Steffen Seibert said.
"As much as we all want a ceasefire to be respeted by all sides, there are other issues like OSCE monitoring, the exchange of prisoners and hostages, monitoring of borders and the start of a dialogue - there's a lot more than just sticking to the ceasefire." (Reporting by Michelle Martin; Editing by Noah Barkin)
http://www.trust.org/item/20140908103857-4kq02/
bemildred
(90,061 posts)(Reuters) - The European Union will press ahead with implementing new sanctions on Russia later on Monday despite a shaky ceasefire in Ukraine, the European Commission said.
"The package is due to be formally implemented by the member states through a written procedure later today," Commission spokeswoman Pia Ahrenkilde-Hansen told reporters.
Details will be published in the EU's Official Journal on Tuesday at the latest, she said. (Reporting by Adrian Croft, Foo Yun Chee ; editing by Robin Emmott)
http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/09/08/ukraine-crisis-sanctions-idUSL5N0R926P20140908?rpc=401&feedType=RSS&feedName=rbssEnergyNews&rpc=401
bemildred
(90,061 posts)Kiev, Ukraine (CNN) -- Twenty Ukrainian prisoners of war have been released under the ceasefire between Kiev and pro-Russian rebels signed in Minsk, Belarus, last week, Ukraine's President Petro Poroshenko said Monday.
Ukraine's counterterrorist operation press office said the freed prisoners were Ukrainian troops, telling CNN they had been exchanged for a "terrorist."
Speaking in the port city of Mariupol, south of Donetsk, Poroshenko said 33 Ukrainian servicemen who had refused to surrender had also been able to leave the conflict zone.
The Russian state news agency ITAR-Tass quoted the vice premier of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic, Andrei Purgin, as saying both sides had agreed to exchange "30 for 30" prisoners as a starting point.
http://edition.cnn.com/2014/09/08/world/europe/ukraine-crisis/index.html
bemildred
(90,061 posts)Pro-Russian rebels in Ukraine have released 1,200 prisoners, President Petro Poroshenko has said.
According to BBC, the releases followed Friday’s ceasefire deal, he said, which included an exchange of prisoners.
He was speaking during a visit to the strategic south-eastern port city of Mariupol, which has come under shelling from pro-Russian rebels in recent days.
Poroshenko announced his arrival in a tweet: “Mariupol is Ukraine. We will not surrender this land to anyone.”
http://www.punchng.com/news/ukraine-rebels-free-1200-captives/
