© Ilya Pitalev / Sputnik
Despite many delays and setbacks, the swap finally happened on Saturday. The government plane carrying the released Russians landed in Moscow this afternoon. The jet with the freed Ukrainians earlier touched down in Kiev.
The long-awaited prisoner exchange "has been completed," Russian Human Rights Commissioner Tatyana Moskalkova confirmed. She hailed the event as "a historical mass-scale humanitarian action," confirming the swap was "35-for-35."
It followed months of painstaking behind-the-scenes negotiations at various levels. At one point, even the presidents of the two nations were involved, as Russian President Vladimir Putin discussed the matter with his Ukrainian counterpart, Volodymyr Zelensky over the phone.
There were some "provocations" and other challenges throughout the talks, Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson, Maria Zakharova said. But in the end, "the political will and meticulous work delivers results."
Who was swapped
Ukrainian media released the list of people who were handed over to Russia. Among them is journalist Kirill Vyshinsky who was earlier seen arriving in Moscow. He was charged with treason and backing the fighters from the self-proclaimed republics in eastern Ukraine, a claim that he strongly denies.
© Ria Novosti / Ilya PitalevKirill Vyshinsky, center, arriving in Moscow on September 7,209
Comment: Upon his arrival in Moscow, Vyshinsky said this:
"I've never been that nervous lately. Different people are calling me, congratulating, so many emotions," Vyshinsky told reporters. "I know how all of you worried about me and thanks a lot for that. I felt that I was not alone, I felt that I had people who remembered me, who tried to do something for me. Not because I'm Kirill Vyshinsky, but because I'm a journalist."
Another person said to have been swapped is Vladimir Tsemakh, who led the air defense of the breakaway Donetsk People's Republic (DPR). Kiev charged him with terrorism - a standard accusation Ukraine slaps on all pro-independence fighters for the DPR. Tsemakh's name made its way into the foreign press recently after the Dutch-led investigative team said it believes he is a valuable witness in the MH17 probe.
Comment: On a separatist YouTube channel in 2015, Tsemakh was interviewed, saying that the rebels had shot down a Ukrainian jet fighter flying towards MH17. He said there were two jets, the second of which downed MH17. The Dutch team most likely wants to interview him not necessarily for those statements, but because he appears to say that his group had "hid the BUK", implying that the rebels had such a system from Russia - which is of course central to the case the JIT has attempted to construct against Russia.
Ukraine confirmed that Russia has returned filmmaker Oleg Sentsov, who, along with other former detainees, was greeted by Zelensky and a crowd on the tarmac in Kiev. Sentsov was convicted of plotting terrorist attacks in Crimea and was sentenced to 20 years in prison. He denies all the charges and Ukraine has long demanded his release.
Russia also returned two dozen Ukrainian sailors, captured after a naval standoff in the Black Sea last year. They were charged with violating Russia's maritime border.
Reaction to the exchange of detainees
The jubilant scenes of detainees returning home in both countries sparked hope that the severely-strained bilateral relations will start returning to normal. Zelensky said the successful swap will help "to unblock the dialogue" with Moscow.
Weighing in, Putin's spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said Kremlin is "pleased that Russian citizens have returned home." According to the country's Foreign Ministry, the event shows that relations between Moscow and Kiev may be improved beyond their "dead-end" state today.
The news also received praise from Germany, which is part of the Normandy Contact Group, tasked with resolving the conflict in eastern Ukraine. The prisoner swap delivers a "hopeful sign," Chancellor Angela Merkel said, adding that all sides must continue to work towards peace.
The Council of Europe also welcomed the swap. "This is an encouraging step towards the reconciliation" of Russia and Ukraine, Secretary General Thorbjorn Jagland stated.
Comment: Donald Tusk couldn't bring himself to be positive - it's Russia, after all:
Donald Tusk has been accused of hypocrisy for using the Russia-Ukraine prisoner swap to call on Moscow to "release all political prisoners," even though he doesn't feel the same way about Catalan leaders jailed in the EU. ...
A dozen Catalan leaders have been detained for nearly two years in Spain and await a verdict after they were tried on charges of violent rebellion and sedition for their alleged roles in Catalonia's electoral bid for independence.
Verbal shots were also fired about the EU's perceived meddling in member nations' affairs as Tusk conveniently overlooked issues closer to home in his tweeted jibe.
Tusk's dig at Russia was at odds with the sentiments uttered by US President Donald Trump, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, and the Council of Europe, who all welcomed the joint detainee release.
Reader Comments