Prisoner Exchange Highlights Ongoing Efforts for Peace Between Ukraine and Russia

Ukraine and Russia carried out a prisoner exchange on Thursday, marking the latest swap since their face-to-face peace discussions in Istanbul earlier this month.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced on social media, “Today, soldiers from the Armed Forces, the National Guard, and the State Border Guard Service are returning home,” sharing photos of jubilant soldiers wrapped in Ukrainian flags.

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

Russia’s Defense Ministry reported that its soldiers were relocated to Belarus, where they were receiving medical and psychological support.

The ministry stated, “Another contingent of Russian military personnel has been returned from areas under the control of the Kyiv regime,” and shared a video showing uniformed men wrapped in Russian flags shouting “Russia!”

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

During their previous direct negotiations on June 2, Ukraine and Russia committed to exchanging at least 1,000 prisoners each, although no subsequent talks have been announced.