Kyiv hopes Minsk agreements will be observed by pro-Russian militants
The Ukrainian authorities insist that the Minsk peace agreements be observed, Ukrainian anti-terrorist operation spokesman Andriy Lysenko said on Saturday.
"We insist that the Minsk agreements be observed. So at the moment we're pondering how to bring back our [POW] guys who are being held in those territories and to achieve a complete ceasefire. As soon as this is achieved, and after a test period of 48 hours that doesn't involve any provocations, the withdrawal of heavy weapons and landmine disposal … will start," he said.
In comments on the release of 146 Ukrainian POW by the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic and Luhansk People's Republic, he argued it made no sense to cite any specific number in speaking about how many Ukrainians remained in captivity because "the numbers of hostages may change every day" and "so the figure either increases or decreases."
"We're not going to abandon our people there, we'll be trying to get them all out to the man," he said.
Meanwhile, the Ukrainian Prisoner Release Center said on Facebook on Saturday that there were 490 names on its list of Ukrainians held prisoner currently. The center added that the list might not be accurate.
