Continued Diplomacy: Russia and Ukraine Undertake Eighth Prisoner Swap Amid Ongoing Conflict

On Friday, Russia’s Defense Ministry announced that it had executed another prisoner swap with Ukraine, following agreements made during direct peace discussions in Istanbul last month.

«In line with the Russian-Ukrainian agreements from June 2 in Istanbul, another batch of Russian military personnel has been repatriated from areas held by the Kyiv regime on July 4,» the ministry stated.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky later confirmed the swap, noting that “most” of the released Ukrainian soldiers had been held captive by Russia since 2022.

«Prisoner exchanges should keep occurring, and I express my gratitude to everyone involved in making this happen. Ukraine’s objective is to reunite all our citizens with their families,» Zelensky shared on Telegram.

Neither country revealed the total number of exchanged prisoners.

According to Russia’s state-run TASS news agency, which cited an unnamed source, the swap was “equal” and included two civilians from the Kursk region. Zelensky confirmed that the group returned included civilians, as well as military personnel, National Guard members, and border guards.

During the negotiations in Istanbul on June 2, Russia and Ukraine consented to exchange over 1,000 wounded or ill service members, including those under 25 years of age. Prior to this latest exchange, the two nations had completed at least seven exchanges, the most recent of which occurred on June 26.

On Friday, Russia stated that its personnel were moved to Belarus, where they are currently receiving psychological and medical care.

This announcement of the exchange came just hours after Ukraine accused Russia of executing its most extensive airstrike of the ongoing conflict, while Ukrainian drone attacks on Russian soil resulted in the death of an elderly woman and left many without electricity.