What the last days of 2019 showed about Ukraine's war and justice
A look back at three reports from the final days of 2019, touching on a prisoner exchange, a court ruling on former Berkut officers and a Russian weapons announcement.
What did Ukraine's public life look like on 31 December 2019, the last day of the year? Reports from the preceding days point to a mix of cautious diplomacy and unresolved questions about accountability.
A prisoner exchange
On 29 December 2019, the Ukrainian government and separatist rebels exchanged prisoners in the war in Donbass. The exchange followed the "all identified for all identified" formula, which had been agreed during peace talks in Paris earlier that month. The swap showed that the Paris talks had produced something concrete before the year ended.
A ruling on the Revolution of Dignity
On 28 December 2019, an appeal court in Kyiv changed the preventive measure for five former Berkut officers from detention to personal obligations. They were Pavlo Abroskin, Serhii Zinchenko, Oleksandr Marynchenko, Serhii Tamtura and Oleh Yanishevskyi. All five were suspected of killing people during the Revolution of Dignity. The ruling did not end the case, but it altered the conditions under which the suspects awaited its outcome.
Moscow's announcement
On 27 December 2019, Russia's Ministry of Defence announced the first deployment of the Avangard hypersonic glide vehicle, calling it a landmark event. President Vladimir Putin said its top speed was over Mach 20 and that it put Russia's military ahead of all other nations.
Reading the three together
The reports do not form a single story, and it would be wrong to force them into one. Taken side by side, they show a country handling a negotiated step in the war, a legal process over the deaths of protesters, and a neighbour publicising its military capabilities, all within four days. The exchange was a measurable result of diplomacy; the court ruling was a reminder that the legal reckoning over the Revolution of Dignity was still under way.
