On Saturday, Ukraine and Russia completed another prisoner of war exchange. This marked the fourth such swap within a single week. The exchanges are taking place under the terms of agreements that were established in Istanbul earlier in the month.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced the exchange on social media, stating that Ukraine was continuing its efforts to retrieve its citizens from Russian captivity.
Russia's defense ministry also confirmed the exchange via Telegram. They reported the return of another group of Russian servicemen from Ukrainian-controlled territory, in accordance with the agreements.
In addition to the prisoner exchange, Kyiv received a further 1,200 unidentified bodies from Russia. Ukraine stated that Russia claimed these bodies belonged to Ukrainian citizens, including military personnel. This transfer of remains was also part of the Istanbul agreements. Ukraine did not specify whether it returned any bodies to Russia.
5 Comments
Coccinella
Glad to see actions being taken toward retrieving our people! It’s a positive move amidst the chaos.
Bermudez
This is a step in the right direction! Every life matters, and bringing back our citizens is crucial.
Habibi
This is just a ploy to distract from the ongoing violence and suffering in Ukraine. Nothing has really changed.
Bermudez
These exchanges show that both sides can act humanely despite the horrific situation. Hope for more of this.
Raphael
Do we really think Russia cares about prisoners? This just legitimizes their actions on the battlefield.