Russia, Ukraine Hold Prisoner Exchange Deal

(MENAFN) Russia and Ukraine have completed another swap of captured personnel, the Russian Ministry of Defense reported on Friday.

This action follows agreements made during discussions held in Istanbul on June 2.

The ministry affirmed that both parties traded equal numbers of military personnel, although it withheld the specific figures involved in the exchange.

As stated in the announcement, the returned Russian troops are currently in Belarus, where they are receiving medical treatment and mental health assistance.

These individuals will later be relocated to healthcare centers in Russia for ongoing care and recovery, according to the ministry.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy likewise acknowledged the exchange, noting that many of the released fighters had spent more than two years in Russian hands.

“Most of the warriors returning today from Russian captivity had been held for over two years. And now, at last, they are home,”
— he posted on X.

Zelenskyy mentioned that the returning troops included defenders from various regions — Mariupol, Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, Kherson, Kharkiv, and Chernihiv — and represented Ukraine’s military, National Guard, and Border Guard Service.

During the June 2 talks, the two sides agreed on several humanitarian initiatives, one of which was the exchange of detainees.

The initial Istanbul discussions, marking the first direct talks between the two countries in three years, took place in May.

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