A court in Kiev has ruled Thursday to release a potential key witness in the 2014 downing of Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 as Ukraine and Russia gear up for a highly anticipated prisoner exchange. Vladimir Tsemakh had faced prison time for fighting on the side of pro-Russian rebels in eastern Ukraine, leading observers to speculate that a key witness could be held publicly accountable in the MH17 case. The Dutch-led MH17 investigation team said it wanted to interrogate Tsemakh amid reports that his case may have stalled the rumored Russian-Ukrainian prisoner swap.

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A Kiev appeals court ruled to release Tsemakh from custody, Russian and Ukrainian media outlets reported Thursday. As the news broke, Russian President Vladimir Putin said the two countries are “approaching the final” phase of the prisoner exchange and promised clarity in the “large-scale” talks soon. Speaking at an economic forum in Russia's Far East, Putin said a major prisoner swap between Moscow and Kiev could mark a step toward normalizing relations between the two countries. Tsemakh potentially knows about the downing of MH17 — which the Dutch-led international investigation has said was hit with a Buk missile from separatist territory — because of his involvement in the separatist fighters’ air defense in 2014.

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