Rebels in E. Ukraine reject "one-for-three" prisoner swap

Independence-seeking insurgents in eastern Ukraine said on Wednesday they have rejected the offer to carry out a prisoner exchange with Kiev under the "one-for-three" formula during the latest meeting of the Contact Group on Ukraine crisis.

"The attempts of the representatives of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe to put on the discussion the "truncated" version of prisoner swap had been negatively perceived by the representatives of people' s republics," Vladislav Deinego, a Lugansk representative in the Contact group, was quoted as saying by the insurgent-run Lugansk information center.

Donetsk and Lugansk representative are insisting on the "all-for-all" prisoner exchange formula with the Ukrainian government, Deinego said.

Last week, the head of the Ukrainian Security Service Vasyl Hrytsak said Kiev stands ready to release three detainees in exchange for one in an effort to revive the stalled prisoner swap.

Kiev believes that insurgents are holding at least 109 Ukrainian soldiers and civilians captured in the conflict, while rebels estimate that the government is holding 618 of their supporters.

The prisoner swap is a key part of the Minsk ceasefire agreement designed to end the conflict in eastern Ukraine that has killed more than 9,600 people since April 2014. Endit