Ukraine rivals exchange prisoners in controversial swap

Ukraine exchanged prisoners with Russia-backed separatists in the country's war-torn east on Sunday, swapping detained fighters for civilians and servicemen held captive sometimes for years in the breakaway region.

Kiev was expected to hand over to separatists several riot policemen suspected of killing protesters during a pro-Western uprising in 2014 as part of the swap, sparking public outrage.

The exchange came after Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky held their first face-to-face talks in Paris on December 9 and agreed measures to de-escalate Europe's only active war.

Prisoners filed off coaches at the heavily-guarded Mayorske checkpoint in the eastern Donetsk region, many carrying plastic bags stuffed with their belongings.

Among the group of detainees handed over by the separatists were those who said they had been held for several years after getting caught up in the conflict while visiting relatives.

Volodymyr Danylchenko, who said he had spent three years in captivity, said he was at a loss to describe his feelings.

"I myself don't understand what's happened," said the 36-year-old, adding he was leaving his mother behind in the separatist region of Lugansk.

The total number of people involved in the exchange was still unclear on Sunday but the Ukrainian presidency said the "first 25" would soon be home.

Olga Kobtseva, an official in charge of the swap at the Lugansk stronghold said the region handed over 25 people and received 63.

Ukraine's top rights official Lyudmila Denisova said Kiev received four servicemen who had spent "a long time" in separatist captivity.

- Bittersweet homecoming -

Another detainee released by the separatists, who gave just her first name Victoria, said she had been held for three years.

"I am so happy," the 24-year-old told AFP, adding that she had been convicted of "state treason" and sentenced to 12 years in prison after arriving in the Lugansk stronghold to see her parents.

Another woman being handed to Kiev sported a hand-written sign on her clothing: "My country is Ukraine!"

The swap, which was overseen by monitors from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, came three months after Ukraine carried out a long-awaited exchange with Russia of 35 prisoners each.

The previous prisoner swap between Kiev and separatists took place in 2017.

Ties between Ukraine and Russia were shredded after the bloody 2014 uprising ousted a Kremlin-backed regime.

Moscow went on to annex Crimea and support insurgents in eastern Ukraine, who launched a bid for independence in 2014. Since then more than 13,000 people have been killed in the conflict.

- 'No future' -

The potential release of the riot police has raised concerns in Ukraine, with many fearing the country is being pushed to pay too high a price for the swap.

Ahead of the exchange three riot policemen were released from custody while another two were freed from house arrest.

The riot policemen are suspected to have been involved in the bloody crackdown on protesters in 2014. Some 100 demonstrators were shot dead during the uprising.

"What Ukrainians have been fighting for is going down the drain," filmmaker Oleg Sentsov, who was released in the September prisoner exchange, said on Facebook.

In an open letter to Zelensky, the victims' families warned the release of the suspects could lead to a "wave of protests".

Volodymyr Golodnyuk, whose 19-year son was killed in the uprising, accused authorities of "abusing the justice system".

"This country has no future," he said.

In an apparent move to allay concerns, Ukraine's prosecutor-general's office said the trial of the five former policemen would continue.

Former health minister Ulyana Suprun said handing over the policemen would be an invitation to the Kremlin "to perpetrate yet more evil acts".

- 'Frozen' conflict -

Since coming to power in May, comedian-turned-president Zelensky, 41, has sought to kickstart a peace process to end the conflict.

At the Paris summit, the leaders sought to revive accords signed in Minsk in 2015 that call for the withdrawal of heavy weapons, and the restoration of Kiev's control over its borders, among other conditions.

But many doubt whether Putin genuinely wants to settle the conflict.

He has said that if Kiev gets back control of the border in the east residents of separatist-held territories could be targeted.

Zelensky's peace plan has also been strongly criticised by war veterans and nationalists.

Dmitri Trenin, head of the Carnegie Moscow Centre, praised the prisoner exchange but said it would not bring the settlement any closer.

"The conflict is much more likely to become frozen than resolved," he said on Twitter.

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