Russia and Ukraine have made a new exchange of prisoners of war on Thursday in the framework of what was agreed in the second round of Istanbul’s negotiations at the beginning of the month, as reported by the Russian Defense Ministry.
“Today, in correspondence with the Istanbul agreements, a group of Russian military from the territories controlled by the kyiv regime was returned. In return a group of military from the Ukrainian army was delivered,” said Russian military command in Telegram, where he has published a video.
Defense has not specified the number of exchanged prisoners or the date of upcoming exchanges, which will be made in the format “All for all”, but will not be less than a thousand, as previously reported by the Russian negotiating chief, Vladimir Medinski.
Defense has not indicated which of the categories of prisoners agreed for exchange (children under 25 years, sick or seriously injured) belong.
“At the moment the Russian military are in the territory of Belarus, where they are offered the necessary psychological and medical help,” added Russian military command, specifying that “all Russian military will be transferred to Russia to receive medical care and rehabilitation in medical centers of the Ministry of Defense.”
Last Monday Russia concluded the delivery of the 6,000 bodies of Ukrainians fallen in combat agreed in Istanbul and expressed his willingness to repatriate another 2,239.
Zelenski confirms the exchange: “We are working to bring the rest of the turn”
The president of Ukraine, Volodimir Zelenski, has confirmed this exchange, announcing the return of another group of military to the country, most of them soldiers who were in captivity since 2022, as explained in a message spread through social networks.
“Our people are returning home. They are soldiers of the Armed Forces, the National Guard and the state border service. The majority had been imprisoned for three years. They are defenders of Donetsk, Zaporiyia, Lugansk, Járkov, Sumi, Chénigov and kyiv,” he explained.
In this sense, he said that “we are working to bring the rest of the return.” “I want to thank all those who make these possible exchanges. Our goal is to free each of them,” he added.
