Kiev Holds Almost 600 DPR Residents As POWs - DPR Ombudswoman

Over 580 Donbas residents are being held as prisoners-of-war (POWs) by Kiev authorities.

DONETSK (Sputnik) — Kiev authorities are keeping in custody some 580 residents of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic (DPR) as prisoners-of-war, DPR ombudswoman Darya Morozova said Thursday.

"There are 580 of our people there, and the list grows by 10-15 every day. In addition, some 1,500 are listed as missing," the Donetsk news agency cited Morozova as saying.

The new peace agreement on East Ukraine standoff, reached early on Thursday, includes an "all-for-all" exchange of prisoners between Kiev and Donbas militia.

The most recent prisoner swap between the warring sides took place last December, with the DPR releasing over 145 prisoners and Kiev handing over more than 222 people.

An all-for-all prisoner swap between Kiev and eastern Ukraine was agreed upon in September 2014 at a Contact Group meeting in Minsk, with the mediation of Russia and the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE). Kiev and independence supporters have swapped hundreds of prisoners since then.