Russia, Ukraine conduct additional POW swap

2025-06-19 07:40:54

(MENAFN) Russia and Ukraine have completed another prisoner exchange, marking the latest swap in a series held since the start of the week. The most recent exchange took place on Saturday, with both sides confirming the transfer of captives.

During direct talks in Istanbul on June 2, Moscow and Kiev agreed to a series of prisoner swaps focusing mainly on seriously injured, ill, and younger detainees. Additionally, Russia committed to returning the bodies of more than 6,000 fallen Ukrainian soldiers on humanitarian grounds.

The Russian Defense Ministry stated that earlier on Saturday, a group of Russian service members was released from Ukrainian-controlled territory. At the same time, Ukraine received an undisclosed number of its soldiers held by Russia. A brief video accompanying the statement showed the released Russian troops receiving medical and psychological care in Belarus before being moved to Russian military hospitals for further treatment and recovery.

Ukraine’s President Vladimir Zelensky confirmed on Telegram that this marked the “fourth prisoner exchange in a week.” On the same day, Ukraine’s Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War reported that Moscow had also handed over another 1,200 bodies of deceased Ukrainian soldiers.

Similar prisoner exchanges occurred on Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday, though neither side revealed the exact numbers of captives exchanged. Russia’s chief negotiator in Istanbul, Vladimir Medinsky, had previously indicated that roughly 1,200 prisoners would be exchanged by each side.

In addition to the prisoner swaps, Russia returned the remains of 1,200 fallen Ukrainian soldiers on both Wednesday and Friday.

MENAFN19062025000045015687ID1109695991

Legal Disclaimer:
MENAFN provides the information “as is” without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the provider above.