In Luhansk sector, Armed forces of Ukraine got under enemy fire near Novotroitske and Pisky.
According to the headquarters, the militants fired on the positions of Ukrainian troops from 120 mm caliber mortars banned by the Minsk agreements, as well as from grenade launchers of various systems and heavy machine guns. No losses among our fighters reported over the day.
According to one of the sources of the news agency, about 40 people, included in the exchange list, refused to participate in the swap and return to the occupied territory of Donbas.
The interlocutor did not name all reasons for the refusals, he noted that there are people who did not want to return to areas of Donbas uncontrolled by Kyiv and there are people who want to serve the punishment and close the issue of the criminal prosecution in Ukraine.
‘Tough demand of Luhansk’ to legally ‘clear’ from criminal proceedings all people who should be exchanged became one of the reasons that on December 18, at the session of the Trilateral Contact Group, the sides failed to agree on the holding of ‘great exchange’ until the end of the year.