KIEV, Ukraine — An "all-for-all" exchange of prisoners that Ukraine and pro-Russian separatists agreed to in Minsk as part of a renewed cease-fire accord raised hopes that a famed military pilot imprisoned in Moscow would soon be freed.  Nadiya Savchenko, 34, is being tried in Moscow for her alleged complicity in the deaths of two Russian journalists last summer. Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko said her release was a priority during talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin and there was an understanding that she would be freed.  "I was informed that [her release] should be done soon after the medical examination and the preliminary findings of the investigation are finalized," Poroshenko told reporters Thursday, adding that he had the support of German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Francois Hollande as well.  But Russia may not be on the same page.  On Friday, Putin's spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said Moscow had made "no promises" about the release of Savchenko, adding that the deal only applied to people who are being held in Ukrainian territory. Savchenko's case isn't clear cut because she's facing criminal charges in Russia.  "The investigation is underway, and the court will decide whether she is guilty," Peskov added.  Nadiya Savchenko, a former lieutenant in the Ukrainian military, appears at a hearing this week in Russia wearing a T-shirt adorned with the Ukrainian trident.  Russian authorities allege that Savchenko had a hand in the deaths of two Russian TV journalists, who were killed during a mortar attack on a rebel checkpoint near the eastern Ukrainian city of Luhansk on June 17. Savchenko says she was training with her Ukrainian volunteer battalion at the time. But Moscow prosecutors say she gave the coordinates for the deadly attack. Savchenko denies the allegations.  Savchenko is being held in Moscow's notorious Matrosskaya Tishina prison, where she has been on hunger strike since Dec. 13. She has reportedly survived on merely warm water and a glucose drip, except when she drank tea on Jan. 7, Orthodox Christmas Day.  This Tuesday, a Moscow court extended her pretrial detention period until May 13. She faces 20 years in prison.  Speaking from inside a barred cage, Savchenko, looking pale and skinny, told the Moscow court: "I will continue the hunger strike, which has lasted for more than 60 days, and will continue it until I'm taken back in Ukraine or until I die."  She shouted as armed guards led her out of the courtroom, "glory to Ukraine!"  Kiev and Western governments have decried her detention, calling it "illegal." They claim Russia has brought trumped-up charges and is holding her "hostage." Her Russian lawyer has called her a "prisoner of war."  Ever defiant over the course of her months-long imprisonment, Savchenko stands as a symbol of Ukrainian strength and resistance against Russian aggression. But even before her imprisonment, Savchenko was already celebrated for her achievement in becoming Ukraine’s first female military pilot.  Family members look on inside the Russian courtroom where Nadiya Savchenko appeared earlier this week.  Her notoriety helped her win a seat in the country's parliament last November on the party ticket of political firebrand Yulia Tymoshenko. She accepted the position from her Moscow prison cell.  Savchenko first joined Ukraine's armed forces as a paratrooper, then served with the country's peacekeeping unit in the Iraq war between 2004 and 2008. That earned her enough credit to convince Ukraine's Air Force University to train her as a military pilot and navigator, catapulting her to national fame.  In 2011, Ukraine's Defense Ministry produced a documentary about her achievements.  Three years later, she became an active participant in Ukraine’s revolution, providing medical assistance to wounded protesters. When the war kicked off in the east last spring, she took a leave of absence from her military duties and joined the pro-Kiev Aidar volunteer battalion to fight pro-Russian separatists in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions.  A few weeks later, Savchenko disappeared.  Nadiya Savchenko holds up a handmade sign that reads, 'I was born Ukrainian, I will die Ukrainian,' during her hearing in Russia this week.  Savchenko eventually resurfaced in Russia, but the story of how she got there has been hotly disputed. She claims rebel forces shackled and smuggled her across the border into Russia. However, Russia says she tried to enter the country as a refugee seeking asylum.  Whatever happened, Russian forces quickly whisked her off to jail and charged her for the journalists' deaths.  In an interrogation by rebels after her capture, one man tried to glean intelligence from Savchenko, demanding she provide details of Ukrainian troop formations. He grilled her: How many units are there? What type of weapons and armored vehicles? Who exactly is fighting against us?  "I think all of Ukraine," she replied.  Savchenko, who has been called Ukraine's "Joan of Arc," has won support from the White House and other foreign governments, as well as human rights organizations and thousands of Internet petitioners.  Pro-Ukrainian social media accounts use the popular hashtags like #SaveOurGirl and #FreeSavchenko to lobby for her release. They share messages of encouragement, as well as hand-drawn images lionizing her as a national hero.  Yuriy Zhuravel draws Nadiya Savchenko:"It's you who are behind bars - I am free" #FreeSavchenko #SaveOurGirl #Ukraine pic.twitter.com/RajS0yYjvD  — Tetyana Bohdanova (@tetyUAna) February 8, 2015  Can you imagine not eating food for 57 days? Only water #Freesavchenko #saveourgirl pic.twitter.com/GA2olGuvT0  — Lyalya Horsky (@lyalyaHorsky) February 9, 2015  RT @EvgeniaMer "FREEDOM = LIFE for NADYA#FreeSavchenko pic.twitter.com/ZyPP7lIvOf"  — Vasyl Pawlowsky (@uamuzik) February 7, 2015  The Kremlin, do not commit more mortal sins - #FreeSavchenko pic.twitter.com/XAB1lop7UB  — UKR Embassy in USA (@UKRintheUSA) February 9, 2015  Have something to add to this story? Share it in the comments.
Ukraine's first female military pilot Nadiya Savchenko is imprisoned in Russia on murder charges, and it's unlikely a peace deal will save her.