Russia, Ukraine swap additional POWs
(MENAFN) Russia and Ukraine carried out a third prisoner of war exchange on Thursday as part of a major swap deal reached in Istanbul earlier this month, the Russian Defense Ministry reported. The released soldiers are currently in Belarus and will be sent to Russia for medical treatment and rehabilitation. Meanwhile, a group of Ukrainian POWs was also returned to Kiev, though the exact numbers were not disclosed.
A video released by the Defense Ministry showed the freed servicemen calling their families and waving Russian flags before boarding a bus at an undisclosed location.
Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky confirmed the swap, calling it the “second stage” of exchanging seriously wounded and critically ill soldiers but did not specify the number of prisoners exchanged.
The swap agreement, reached during the second round of talks in Istanbul on June 2, covers POWs who are seriously injured, ill, or under the age of 25. However, the Russian Defense Ministry noted that Ukraine has struggled to meet the agreed schedule for daily exchanges, stating that Kiev is not prepared to carry out the swaps as swiftly as planned.
The initial exchange took place on Monday, involving prisoners under 25, while another swap occurred on Tuesday. Although Russia did not specify the categories for the Tuesday exchange, Ukraine said it involved seriously wounded and ill prisoners.
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