Pro-Russians, Ukraine to swap prisoners in Lugansk

Pro-Russia forces say a prisoner swap with the Ukrainian side will be carried out as part of the Minsk ceasefire deal.

"Today, we are exchanging [Ukrainian] officers for our commanders," said the ombudswoman of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic Darya Morozova on Saturday.

She added that the exchange, which involves 37 prisoners from each side, will take place in the restive region of Lugansk. Some of the prisoners are reportedly wounded.

Kiev has not so far confirmed the prisoners swap.

US accuses Moscow of violating Minsk truce

Meanwhile, Washington on Saturday accused Moscow of undermining the Minsk ceasefire deal by continuing its support for pro-Russia forces in eastern Ukraine.

"Russia's continued support of ongoing separatist attacks in violation of the ceasefire in eastern Ukraine is undermining international diplomacy and multilateral institutions -- the foundations of our modern global order," US State Department spokeswoman, Jen Psaki (pictured below), said.

"By not abiding by the agreement they signed, by continuing to support and intervene illegally in Ukraine... they're violating international norms and they're violating international law," added Psaki in reference to Moscow officials.

East Ukraine ceasefire deals

During peace talks in the Belarusian capital city of Minsk on February 11-12, the leaders of Germany, France, Russia and Ukraine agreed on the withdrawal of heavy weapons from Ukraine’s front lines and a ceasefire, which officially went into effect at 2200 GMT on February 14. The two sides, however, have continued to engage in sporadic clashes.

Back in September 2014, the representatives of Ukraine, Russia, and the self-proclaimed republics of Donetsk and Lugansk signed another ceasefire deal in Minsk. However, the truce was violated on an almost daily basis by both the Ukrainian military and the pro-Russia forces, and thus failed to deliver any practical result.

Source of conflict

West-Moscow relations have been extremely tense in recent months. Kiev, NATO, the US and their allies accuse the Kremlin of supporting pro-Russia forces in east Ukraine. Russia categorically denies the allegations, saying NATO is responsible for the flare-up in Ukraine.

The two mainly Russian-speaking regions of Donetsk and Lugansk in eastern Ukraine have been the scene of deadly clashes between pro-Russia protesters and the Ukrainian army since Kiev’s military operation started in April 2014 in a bid to crush the protests.

Violence intensified in May 2014 after the two flashpoint regions held local referendums in which their residents voted overwhelmingly in favor of independence from Ukraine.

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