The “mutual release of prisoners is [still] ongoing,” the Ukrainian president’s office said. The spokesperson for the Security Service of Ukraine, Elena Hitlyanskaya, also confirmed the “complicated” talks about a prisoner swap, but said the actual exchange has not happened yet.

Russian and Ukrainian media reported earlier that a plane carrying high-profile Ukrainian nationals who were held by Moscow and slated for a potential swap was about to land in Kiev sometime on Friday morning. News crews rushed to Zhuliany Airport in anticipation of the aircraft, and some Ukrainian politicians were also spotted there.

Earlier that day, Ukraine’s newly-appointed prosecutor, Ruslan Ryaboshapka, reposted a Facebook post by a parliamentary staffer who claimed that the prisoner exchange was “complete.” However, Ukrainian officials later denied the claim.

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