Russia and Ukraine Complete the Greatest Prisoner Exchange Since the Start of the War, Boosting Expectations for Further Discussions
Russia and Ukraine have traded 390 captives apiece, the most since the full-scale conflict started in 2022.
Each nation has returned 390 prisoners, making this the largest prisoner exchange between Russia and Ukraine since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022.
120 civilians and 270 military personnel from both sides participated in the exchange, which happened at the Ukrainian border with Belarus.
A week ago, direct negotiations in Istanbul led to the swap. The 1,000 inmates are a part of a larger arrangement, and both parties have confirmed that more swaps would take place.
This is the largest civilian handover to date, though there have been dozens of smaller-scale exchanges.
People who were taken prisoner during recent Ukrainian operations in the Kursk region of Russia were among those freed, according to Russia’s Ministry of Defense. Before going back to their homes, the liberated Russians were taken to Belarus for medical care.
According to the government, they were currently in Belarus and were scheduled to be transported to Russia for medical examinations and treatment.
Volodymyr Zelensky, the president of Ukraine, declared on social media, “We are bringing our people home.”
“We are checking every last name and every detail about every individual.”
Kyiv, Chernihiv, Sumy, Donetsk, Kharkiv, and Kherson are among the areas in northern and eastern Ukraine where the freed Ukrainian soldiers served, according to Ukraine’s POW coordinating headquarters. Among the Ukrainians who returned, three were women.
Earlier, US President Donald Trump expressed his appreciation on his Truth Social platform, saying that the trade was finalized and that “this could lead to something big???”
In the hopes that their loved ones would be among those freed, Ukrainian prisoner families gathered in northern Ukraine on Friday.
Natalia said she thought her son Yelizar would return, but she didn’t know when. Yelizar was taken during the battle for the city of Severodonetsk three years ago.
Since her son Valerii and five other soldiers were arrested in the east, Olha claimed that her life had come to a halt since she was unsure if they were still alive.
They were taken prisoner in Luhansk two months ago. They disappeared in a village.
It was the first direct encounter between Russian and Ukrainian delegations since March 2022 in Turkey. Despite the two-hour meeting’s brief duration, little progress was made on a ceasefire.
Sergei Lavrov, the Russian foreign minister, announced Friday that Moscow would give the Ukrainian side a “memorandum” at the start of a second round of negotiations.
Earlier this week, following a two-hour phone conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin, Trump declared that Russia and Ukraine will “immediately” begin talking toward a ceasefire and an end to the war.
Since that time, Zelensky has charged that Putin is “trying to buy time” to prolong the conflict.
Trump’s suggestion that the Vatican may mediate ceasefire negotiations has been supported by Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni; nevertheless, Lavrov stated that this was “not a very realistic option.”
Before a possible future peace deal is completed, the Russian foreign minister recommended holding fresh elections and reiterated the baseless accusation that Zelensky was not a genuine leader.
When asked whether Russia was prepared to sign a contract, Lavrov responded, “We must first have a deal. Upon reaching a consensus, we shall make a decision. However, President Zelensky lacks legitimacy, as repeated by President Putin.
“Russia will see which of those in power in Ukraine has legitimacy,” he stated, once an accord was finalized.
“The most important task at hand is to draft a peace deal that will be trustworthy and offer a stable, equitable, and long-lasting peace without endangering anyone’s security. In our instance, Russia is a concern.
