Russia, Ukraine swap more prisoners of war under Istanbul deal

By Elena Teslova

MOSCOW (AA) - Moscow and Kyiv on Thursday exchanged another group of prisoners of war under the June 2 Istanbul agreement, the Russian Defense Ministry announced.

The ministry said in a statement that Russian soldiers are currently in Belarus, where they are receiving medical care and psychological support, without specifying how many people were swapped.

All returnees will later be transferred to medical facilities in Russia for continued treatment and rehabilitation, the ministry added.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy also confirmed the exchange, saying many of the freed troops were held captive since 2022.

"We are doing everything to find everyone, to check the information on each surname. We must bring all our people home. Thanks to everyone who helps us with this," Zelenskyy said on Telegram.

Russia and Ukraine agreed to a new prisoner swap and the return of thousands of war dead during talks in Istanbul on June 2.

The first round of Istanbul talks, the first direct negotiations between the warring sides in three years, was held in May.