Ukraine swaps detainees with Russia

Ukraine and Russia conducted an exchange of detainees on Saturday, with each country releasing 35 detainees. On the morning, 35 Ukraine detainees held in Russia left the Lefortovo Prison in Moscow for Boryspil International Airport in Kiev. They included 24 sailors seized by Russia during the Kerch Strait incident in November 2018 for allegedly violating the Russian border.

Meanwhile, 35 Russian detainees boarded an aircraft from Kiev to Moscow. Russian President Putin said on Thursday that the detainee exchange would be a good step forward towards the normalization of bilateral relations. He said that while attending the fifth Eastern Economic Forum. The Russia-Ukraine detainees exchange marks easing tensions in the Donbass region and the thawing of bilateral ties.