Russia and Ukraine Exchange Prisoners, Dispute Over Soldier Remains

Russia and Ukraine have completed another prisoner exchange. The swap involved soldiers under the age of 25, according to an announcement from the Russian Defense Ministry on Monday. The Ministry stated that the first group of Russian servicemen had been returned from areas controlled by Kyiv.

The Ministry indicated that a similar number of Ukrainian prisoners of war were transferred in exchange. The Russian servicemen are currently receiving medical and psychological support in Belarus. They are expected to return home for further treatment and rehabilitation.

The agreement to exchange specific categories of prisoners, including those under 25, was reached during direct negotiations in Istanbul the previous week. This agreement also included the exchange of seriously injured or ill captives.

In a separate development, Russia announced its intention to return the remains of over 6,000 Ukrainian soldiers. However, a planned transfer of 1,212 bodies on Saturday was unsuccessful due to the absence of Ukrainian representatives at the designated exchange point.

Ukrainian officials cited a lack of agreement on the transfer date as the reason for their absence. They also accused Moscow of using humanitarian issues for informational purposes.

Russian officials have criticized Kyiv's refusal to accept the bodies. Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova stated that the Ukrainian leadership does not care for its people, living or dead, and is committing genocide. A member of the Russian parliament's International Affairs Committee suggested that Ukraine's reluctance to accept the bodies might be related to avoiding compensation payments to the families of the deceased soldiers. The Ukrainian government had previously announced a one-time compensation payment of approximately $367,000 for the families of fallen soldiers.