DONETSK, November 9 (RIA Novosti) —The independence supporters of the Donetsk People's Republic (DPR) are preparing for another prisoner exchange with Kiev, a DPR official dealing with prisoner exchange issues told RIA Novosti Sunday.
"We handed the lists over [to Kiev], [stating] whom we want to exchange and whom we have," Lilia Radionova said, adding that the nearest exchange may be held in the coming days. She did not specify the number of prisoners DPR is planning to exchange this time.
Earlier this week the newly-elected DPR head Aleksandr Zakharchenko told journalists that the defense ministers of DPR and Ukraine continue to discuss a number of issues including the withdrawal of military equipment, the delineation and the exchange of prisoners.
The previous prisoner exchange between the Donetsk self-defense forces and Ukrainian armed forces took place on November 1. The exchange was held in "25 for 25" format.
The Donetsk militias stated that among those handed over to them by Kiev were a lot of civilians and heavily injured fighters.
Exchange of prisoners between independence supporters and Kiev forces is one of the provisions of the ceasefire agreed during a meeting of the Contact Group on Ukraine on September 5 in Minsk and of memorandum specifying the implementation of the ceasefire adopted at another meeting in Minsk on September 19.
