Ukraine-Russia prisoner swap: Plane carrying prisoners takes off from Moscow

Plane carrying Ukrainian prisoners has taken off from Moscow, Ukrainian presidency has said as media reports said that Ukraine-Russia prisoner swap has been finalized.

Plane carrying Ukrainian prisoners has taken off from Moscow on Saturday and is on its way to Kiev, the Ukrainian presidency has said, according to AFP. At the same time, a Russian plane also left Kiev's Borispol airport, a Reuters witness and Ukrainian officials said as reports confirmed that Ukraine-Russia prisoner swap has been finalized.

The long-awaited Ukraine-Russia prisoner swap was being negotiated from a few months and is reportedly finalized today with 70 people involved in the landmark exchange.

Anticipation has been building in recent days for the swap, which would be the first major exchange of prisoners between Russia and Ukraine since the conflict over eastern Ukraine erupted in 2014. It could be a crucial step in easing tensions between the ex-Soviet neighbors over Russia's annexation of Crimea and the war with Moscow-backed separatists that has left more than 13,000 dead.

#UPDATE Plane carrying Ukrainian prisoners takes off from Moscow: Ukrainian presidency pic.twitter.com/6o34NWLvH5

— AFP news agency (@AFP) September 7, 2019

A full list of names of prisoners exchanged is still awaited but a number of high-profile prisoners, including Ukrainian film director and activist Oleg Sentsov, Russia's RIA Novosti journalist Kyrylo Vyshynsky, are expected to be part of the exchange. 24 Ukrainian sailors captured by Russia last year are also a part of the Ukraine-Russia prisoner swap, head of the defense team has confirmed to AFP.

The most controversial name on the list could be Volodymyr Tsemakh, a key witness in the 2014 MH17 case. There have been reports that the negotiations for Ukraine-Russia prisoner swap were jeopardized with Kermlin's last-minute demand that Ukraine releases Tsemakh. He has served as a DNR air defense commander and potentially knows about the downing of MH17, which Dutch prosecutors suspect was downed by a missile from the separatist territory in Ukraine.

All 298 people on board the MH17 were killed after the plane was shot down by a Russian-made missile from territory held by Russia-backed separatists as it was flying from Amsterdam to Kuala Lampur in July 2014.