KIEV
Twenty soldiers and six civilians being held hostage in eastern Ukraine by pro-Russian separatists have been released following a cease-fire in the region, Ukrainian president Petro Poroshenko said on Thursday.
Poroshenko announced through a social network site that the hostages had been seized in the eastern Ukrainian city of Horlivka, but have now been released.
“We will fight for the release of every Ukrainian and save all of our citizens,” Poroshenko said.
On September 5, the Ukrainian government and separatist leaders signed a ceasefire after negotiations in Belarus, with hopes of ending the five-month conflict. However, shelling took place on Monday near Donetsk airport in eastern Ukraine, raising fears that the truce might end.
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