Russia, Ukraine confirm prisoner swap after Turkiye talks

Moscow and Kyiv accidental their respective soldiers are returning location without specifying fig of released prisoners.

Russia and Ukraine person exchanged prisoners of warfare arsenic the 2 countries proceed to commercialized attacks, contempt diplomatic efforts to extremity the conflict.

Officials successful Moscow and Kyiv confirmed the swap connected Thursday but did not disclose the fig of prisoners released.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy wrote connected X that the “warriors of the Armed Forces, the National Guard, and the State Border Guard Service” were returning home.

“Most of them had been successful captivity since 2022. We are doing everything imaginable to find each person, to verify the accusation connected each name,” helium said.

“We indispensable bring each our radical home. I convey everyone who is helping america successful this effort.”

At the aforesaid time, Russia’s Ministry of Defence said connected Telegram that different radical of Russian soldiers had returned from Ukraine.

“Currently, Russian servicemen are connected the territory of the Republic of Belarus, wherever they are receiving the indispensable intelligence and aesculapian assistance,” the ministry said.

The soldiers volition past beryllium taken to Russia for attraction and rehabilitation, the ministry added.

Russian work unit successful beforehand of buses astatine an chartless determination successful Belarus [Russian Defence Ministry/Handout via Reuters]

During their nonstop gathering successful Turkiye connected June 2, Russia and Ukraine pledged to swap astatine slightest 1,000 soldiers successful 1 of the fewer points that some sides person agreed upon and shown practice since the warfare began successful 2022.

But aboriginal talks to sermon a way to extremity the warfare person stalled arsenic the gulf betwixt Moscow and Kyiv has remained unchanged.

Russia has repeatedly said immoderate territory it has taken during the warfare indispensable beryllium retained to execute a ceasefire. However, Kyiv has rejected giving up its land.

Amid the latest captive exchange, Russian aerial strikes connected Ukraine killed astatine slightest 1 idiosyncratic and wounded 2 others successful the confederate portion of Kherson, according to the determination mayor.

Moreover, Russia announced that its forces had captured 2 Ukrainian villages successful the Donetsk portion arsenic Ukraine’s service chief, Oleksandr Syrskii, ordered antiaircraft lines to beryllium built faster arsenic Russian forces instrumentality much crushed towards the Dnipropetrovsk region.

Meanwhile, Zelenskyy signed an accord connected Thursday with the Council of Europe to enactment apical Russian officials connected proceedings for the penetration of Ukraine.