First Deputy Speaker of the Verkhovna Rada, Ukraine’s representative in the humanitarian subgroup of the Trilateral Contact Group Iryna Gerashchenko has noted an increase in the number of hostages in Donbas at the expense of civilians.
“We learned about the disappearance of (journalist) Stanyslav Vasin on Tuesday evening, on the eve of the Minsk meeting… All competent authorities were immediately informed and involved to find out more information about the fate of Stas,” she wrote on her Facebook page.
According to Gerashchenko, in recent months there has been a significant increase in the number of hostages due to civilians who are detained in the occupied territory for the pro-Ukrainian position.
“At the same time, those detained and convicted for crimes against the state of Ukraine under Ukrainian legislation leave the custody after serving their sentence, including ahead of schedule “according to the law of one deputy (the law was canceled, but it has no retroactive effect on sentences),” the official said.
She also stressed the list of those demanded by the uncontrolled territories of Donetsk and Luhansk regions is getting smaller every week, as “some criminals, having served their sentence, go free.”
