Ukraine and Russian-backed rebels Wednesday began to exchange more than 300 prisoners in the war-torn east of the country, the largest such swap since the insurgency broke out in 2014. The prisoner exchange is in line with the so-called Minsk agreements brokered by Germany and France in 2015. The last prisoner swap between Ukraine and Russian-backed rebels took place in September 2016 when two pro-Kiev detainees were exchanged for four separatist fighters at a checkpoint outside the rebel-held city of Lugansk. Russian Orthodox Patriarch Kirill helped mediate the talks on Wednesday’s prisoner exchange. Moscow has denied the claims despite overwhelming evidence that it has been involved in the fighting and its explicit political support for the rebels.

Source: Pakistan Today December 27, 2017 13:52 UTC