KIEV, Feb. 20 (Xinhua) -- Ukrainian military spokesman Vladislav
Seleznyov said here Friday that at least 110 Ukrainian troops are
being held captive by pro-independence rebels in eastern Ukraine,
while 31 soldiers are still missing.
"Now we are working to establish the whereabouts of our troops,"
Seleznyov told reporters during a media briefing.
The representatives of the Organization for Security and
Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) monitoring mission, as well as several
governmental and non-governmental organizations are assisting
Ukraine in searching for the missing soldiers, Seleznyov added.
Over the past 24 hours, two Ukrainian servicemen were killed and
three others wounded in clashes with rebels, he said.
Earlier in the day, the self-styled rebel ombudsman for human
rights, Daria Morozova told local media that a fresh round of war
prisoner exchange between the government and the insurgent forces
will start Saturday.
There was no immediate confirmation of the possible swap from
the Ukrainian authorities.
The warring sides have undertaken a commitment to release all
hostages based on the principle of "all for all" under the
framework of a peace agreement reached in Minsk, capital of
Belarus, on Feb. 12. Enditem