Prisoner Exchange: Ukraine and Russias Latest Step Towards Peace Talks

On Thursday, Ukraine and Russia completed a prisoner exchange, marking the latest such event following peace discussions in Istanbul earlier this month.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced the return of soldiers via social media, posting photos of jubilant servicemen draped in Ukrainian flags.

According to Ukraine’s POW coordination headquarters, the majority of the released Ukrainian soldiers had been in captivity for over three years, with many captured during the intense siege of Mariupol in 2022.

The Russian Defense Ministry reported that their soldiers were relocated to Belarus, where they are receiving psychological and medical support.

“Another group of Russian servicemen has been brought back from territory governed by the Kyiv regime,” the ministry stated, along with a video showing soldiers in uniform wrapped in Russian flags, chanting “Russia!”

Neither country revealed the exact number of soldiers involved in the exchange.

During their previous direct negotiations on June 2, Ukraine and Russia committed to an exchange of at least 1,000 prisoners each, though there have been no announcements regarding any further talks.