MOSCOW. June 25 (Interfax) - The Ukrainian law enforcement authorities have captured over 400 persons in the Donetsk People's Republic, First Deputy Prime Minister of the self-proclaimed republic Andrei Purgin said.
"We have 400 abducted persons on our formal lists alone. It is hard to tell their precise number but it must be bigger. A significant part [of these people] are average civilians, for instance, women in their 60s who used to be secretaries and referendum commission heads. There are also people seized by the law enforcers on the spur of the moment although they had nothing to do with our struggle," Purgin told Interfax.
In his words, the seized people were taken to detention centers of the Ukrainian Security Service in various regions of Ukraine.
The hostages are a major impediment to the peace process in the region, he indicated.
"The taking of hostages prompts a response of the other side because a person can be brought back only in a swap deal. This is an endless circle, which actually hampers the ceasefire and the peace process," Purgin said.