VLADIVOSTOK. Sept 12 (Interfax) - The Kremlin has expressed hope for the further operation of the Donbas humanitarian subgroup, specifically on the efforts to swap prisoners, Russian presidential press secretary Dmitry Peskov said.
"The group dealing with the resolution of humanitarian issues exists. Medvedchuk [Kyiv's envoy in the Donbas humanitarian subgroup and the leader of the Ukrainian Choice - Choice of People public movement Viktor Medvedchuk] continues quite actively working on that. He had successful attempts, and several exchanges have already taken place. We hope that this activity will be continued," Peskov told reporters on Wednesday.
He replied so to the question about whether the swap of Ukrainian citizen Roman Sushchenko convicted in Russia for espionage for several Russians convicted in Ukraine will take place.
The Russian Supreme Court earlier on Wednesday upheld the sentence to Ukrainian journalist Sushchenko, who was sentenced by the Russian court to 12 years in a high-security penal colony for espionage. The court judgment has thus come into legal force and is due to be executed.
Sushchenko is ready to write an appeal for pardon, lawyer Mark Feygin said.