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Ukrainian Air Force officer, Nadejda Savchenko, who was sentenced in Russia to 22 years in prison, may be exchanged for a group of Russian citizens, including Viktor Bout and Konstantin Yaroshenko, who are serving lengthy prison terms in the United States, an informed source told Interfax-Ukraine agency on Tuesday.

"Currently, consultations are underway, including through confidential channels, on the possibility of releasing Savchenko through a swap. The Russian side proposed a list of its citizens in exchange for whom it is ready to release the former Ukrainian soldier," one of the sources said, according to the source.

Russia's list includes businessman Bout and pilot Yaroshenko, he said. "There are also Russians whose activity is usually not made public among them," the source noted.

Earlier, Sergei Ivanov, the chief of staff of Kremlin, stated that Nadezhda Savchenko could be exchanged for two Russian citizens prosecuted by Kiev if it complies with national laws and upon a corresponding decision of Russian President Vladimir Putin.

On March 22 Russian court sentenced Nadezhda Savchenko to 22 years in prison, stating she had committed murder in collusion with a group of persons motivated by hatred and enmity. Savchenko was a gunner on an Aidar battalion helicopter and according to Russian prosecutors, reported the location of the two Russian journalists to Kiev troops, who then shelled the area outside Lugansk. The attack resulted in the deaths of the journalists and other civilians. Savchenko has repeatedly rejected all accusations.

Savchenko’s detention and later the conviction caused an international controversy with international organizations and western states calling on Moscow to immediately and unconditionally release Savchenko.