The second phase of the largest prisoner exchange between Ukraine and Russia has been carried out.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Saturday that 307 troops held captive by Russia had returned home, with Russia’s defense ministry confirmed that the same number of soldiers had been brought back from Ukraine.
Why It Matters
An agreement by Ukraine and Russia for a 1,000-for-1,000 prisoner exchange is thought to be the only concrete result of peace talks in Istanbul which took place last week, which were the first such negotiations since 2022 when the ongoing war began. Russian President Vladimir Putin invaded Ukraine in February 2022.
The swap will continue in stages until Sunday and offers some good news even though there is no imminent end in sight for the fighting.
What To Know
The Ukrainian and Russian governments said they had received the lists of prisoners of war (POWs) to be exchanged on Thursday. In the initial phase on Friday, both sides swapped 390 prisoners each and the process is set to continue until Sunday.
Zelensky posted on X, formerly Twitter, on Saturday that in two days 697 people have been brought home to Ukraine, including personnel from the Armed Forces, the State Border Guard Service, the National Guard of Ukraine.
He posted images of emotional scenes of soldiers draped in the yellow and blue flag of Ukraine being greeted by their loved ones.
Among those released are 27 soldiers who had defended the city Mariupol when it was under siege in May 2022. Others had fought in the Donetsk, Kherson, Kharkiv, Zaporizhzhia, and Luhansk sectors, according to Ukraine’s Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of POWs in a Telegram post.
It said that the age range of those released was 25 to 61 and all would get medical examinations and receive physical and psychological rehabilitation and would be paid for their time in captivity.
Earlier this month, a Ukrainian presidential official said at least 8,000 Ukrainian service members are held captive by Russia. Ukraine, meanwhile, does not publicly reveal how Russian prisoners it holds.
Despite the prisoner exchange, Russia continues its attacks on Ukraine, launching a combined missile and drone strike on Kyiv and other regions overnight Friday.
What People Are Saying
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said earlier this week: “The agreement on the release of 1,000 of our people from Russian captivity was almost the only real result of the meeting in Turkey.”
Russia’s defense ministry in a statement on Saturday: “Another 307 members of the Russian military were returned from territory controlled by the Kyiv regime. In exchange, 307 Ukrainian prisoners of war were transferred over.”
What Happens Next?
Kyiv has long called for an “all-for-all” prisoner exchange, which Moscow has so far rejected. Zelensky posted to X on Saturday that the country’s “goal is to bring every single person back from Russian captivity. We continue cooperating with our partners to make this possible.”
Ukraine’s Presidential Office chief, Andriy Yermak, said following completion of the latest prisoner exchange, further talks with Moscow could be arranged, the Kyiv Independent reported.
The post Hundreds of Ukrainian Soldiers Freed by Russia: What to Know appeared first on Newsweek.
