Russia, Ukraine Complete Final Phase of Prisoner Swap
(MENAFN) Russia and Ukraine confirmed on Sunday that they have finalized the third and concluding phase of a significant prisoner exchange.
This initiative was implemented following a pact established in Istanbul earlier this month between Moscow and Kyiv.
Based on a declaration issued by the Russian Ministry of Defense, Ukraine handed back 303 Russian soldiers. In turn, an equal number of Ukrainian military personnel were released and returned to Kyiv.
The ministry further noted, “Currently, Russian servicemen are on the territory of the Republic of Belarus, where they are receiving the necessary psychological and medical assistance.”
It also mentioned that these individuals will later travel to Russia to continue with medical care and recovery procedures.
Ukrainian Leader Volodymyr Zelenskyy also acknowledged the exchange through a message posted on X, where he expressed gratitude to the team that “worked around the clock to successfully carry out this exchange.”
He emphasized Ukraine's commitment, stating, “We will definitely bring every single one of our people back from Russian captivity.”
The initial in-person discussions between Russia and Ukraine in three years were held in Istanbul on May 16, mediated by Türkiye.
These negotiations led to an accord for a wide-scale prisoner handover involving a total of 1,000 individuals from each nation, alongside a pledge to continue dialogue toward a possible cease-fire.
Following this understanding, two prior prisoner swaps occurred in the last two days, resulting in the mutual return of 390 and 307 detainees, respectively.
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