Ukraine, Russia begin what is expected to be largest prisoner swap since 2022 invasion
Social Sharing
Russia and Ukraine each released 390 prisoners on Friday and said they would free more in the coming days, in what is expected to be the biggest prisoner swap of the war so far.
The agreement to exchange 1,000 prisoners each was the only concrete step toward peace to emerge last week from two hours of talks in Istanbul, the first direct talks between the warring sides in more than three years.
The Russian Ministry of Defence said each side had released 270 soldiers and 120 civilians on Friday. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy confirmed the total of 390 each, and said more would be released on Saturday and Sunday.
Earlier, Ukrainian authorities told reporters to assemble at a location in the northern Chernihiv region in anticipation that some freed prisoners could be brought there.
Hundreds of thousands of soldiers on both sides are believed to have been wounded or killed in Europe's deadliest war since the Second World War, although neither side publishes accurate casualty figures. Tens of thousands of Ukrainian civilians have also died as Russian forces have besieged and bombarded Ukrainian cities.
The Russian Defence Ministry said those released included civilians captured in Russia's Kursk region during a Ukrainian incursion there that began last year.
The freed Russian servicemen and civilians were in Belarus, which neighbours Ukraine, and receiving psychological and medical assistance before being moved to Russia for further care, it said.
Deadly attack in Odesa
While U.S. President Donald Trump has said he is losing patience with both countries as the U.S. seeks an end to the war, in general he has shifted American policy from supporting Ukraine with significant military and humanitarian aid to accepting some of Russia's account of the war.
Trump said he could tighten sanctions on Moscow if it blocked peace, but after speaking with Putin on Monday there was no immediate action, even as the European Union issued its 17th sanctions package against Russia.
WATCH l Canadian comedy legend on Ukraine connection, inspiring Kyiv visit:
Ukraine's quiet resistance surprises comedian Dave Thomas
5 days ago
Duration 10:01
Iconic Canadian comedian Dave Thomas, best known as half of Bob and Doug McKenzie, recently spent time in Ukraine and was surprised by how normal life carried on — with a sense of quiet resistance. McKenzie spoke to The National's Ian Hanomansing about his experience there and why he's always valued his Canadian passport.
Referring to the prisoner swap earlier on Friday, Trump wrote on Truth Social: "Congratulations to both sides on this negotiation. This could lead to something big???"
Moscow says it is ceasefire-ready for talks while the fighting goes on, and wants to discuss what it calls the war's "root causes," including its demands Ukraine cede more territory, and be disarmed and barred from military alliances with the West. Kyiv says that is tantamount to surrender and would leave it defenceless in the face of future Russian attacks.
Meanwhile, fighting has continued.
Russia, which occupies about one-fifth of Ukraine, claimed on Friday to have captured a settlement called Rakivka in Ukraine's northeastern Kharkiv region.
The governor of Ukraine's Odesa region, Oleh Kiper, said Russia had struck port infrastructure there with two missiles on Friday afternoon, killing one person and wounding eight.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Toronto Star
an hour ago
- Toronto Star
Wagner Group leaving Mali after heavy losses but Russia's Africa Corps to remain
DAKAR, Senegal (AP) — The Russia-backed Wagner Group said Friday it is leaving Mali after more than three and a half years of fighting Islamic extremists and insurgents in the country. Despite Wagner's announcement, Russia will continue to have a mercenary presence in the West African country. The Africa Corps, Russia's state-controlled paramilitary force, said on its Telegram channel Friday that Wagner's departure would not introduce any changes and the Russian contingent will remain in Mali.
Winnipeg Free Press
an hour ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
Wagner Group leaving Mali after heavy losses but Russia's Africa Corps to remain
DAKAR, Senegal (AP) — The Russia-backed Wagner Group said Friday it is leaving Mali after more than three and a half years of fighting Islamic extremists and insurgents in the country. Despite Wagner's announcement, Russia will continue to have a mercenary presence in the West African country. The Africa Corps, Russia's state-controlled paramilitary force, said on its Telegram channel Friday that Wagner's departure would not introduce any changes and the Russian contingent will remain in Mali. 'Mission accomplished. Private Military Company Wagner returns home,' the group announced via its channel on the messaging app Telegram. It said it had brought all regional capitals under control of the Malian army, pushed out armed militants and killed their commanders. Mali, along with neighbors Burkina Faso and Niger, has for more than a decade battled an insurgency fought by armed groups, including some allied with al-Qaida and the Islamic State group. As Western influence in the region has waned, Russia has sought to step into the vacuum, sweeping in with offers of assistance. Moscow initially expanded its military cooperation with African nations by using the Wagner Group of mercenaries. But since the group's leader, Yevgeny Prigozhin, was killed in a plane crash in 2023, after mounting a brief armed rebellion in Russia that challenged the rule of President Vladimir Putin, Moscow has been developing the Africa Corps as a rival force to Wagner. Africa Corps is under direct command of the Russian defense ministry. According to U.S. officials, there are around 2,000 mercenaries in Mali. It is unclear how many are with Wagner and how many are part of the Africa Corps. Beverly Ochieng, a security analyst specializing in the Sahel for Control Risks consultancy, said the Russian defense ministry had been negotiating with Mali to take on more Africa Corps fighters and for Wagner mercenaries to join Russia's state-controlled paramilitary force. 'Since the death of Prigozhin, Russia has had this whole plan to then make the Wagner Group fall under the command of the Ministry of Defense. One of the steps they made was to revamp or introduce the Africa Corps, which is the way in which the Russian paramilitaries would retain a presence in areas where the Wagner group has been operating,' Ochieng said. Wagner has been present in Mali since late 2021 following a military coup, replacing French troops and international peacekeepers to help fight the militants. But the Malian army and Russian mercenaries struggled to curb violence in the country and have both been accused of targeting civilians. Last month, United Nations experts urged Malian authorities to investigate reports of alleged summary executions and forced disappearances by Wagner mercenaries and the army. In December, Human Rights Watch accused Malian armed forces and the Wagner Group of deliberately killing at least 32 civilians over an 8-month span. The announcement of Wagner's withdrawal comes as the Malian army and the Russian mercenaries suffered heavy losses during attacks by the al-Qaida linked group JNIM in recent weeks. Last week, JNIM fighters killed dozens of soldiers in an attack on a military base in central Mali. Rida Lyammouri, a Sahel expert at the Morocco-based Policy Center for the New South, said the major losses might have caused the possible end of Wagner's mission. 'The lack of an official and mutual announcement from both the Malian authorities and Wagner indicate possible internal dispute which led to this sudden decision. Simultaneously, this could point to a new framework for Russian presence in the country,' he said. Replacing Wagner with Africa Corps troops would likely shift Russia's focus in Mali from fighting alongside the Malian army to training, said Ulf Laessing, head of the Sahel program at the Konrad Adenauer Foundation. 'Africa Corps has a lighter footprint and focuses more on training, providing equipment and doing protection services. They fight less than the 'Rambo-type' Wagner mercenaries,' Laessing said. ___ Associated Press writer Monika Pronczuk in Dakar, Senegal, contributed.
CTV News
2 hours ago
- CTV News
RCMP in London detail charges against man accused of selling components to Russia that could be used for weapons
The RCMP announced in London Friday it has laid charges against a Toronto businessman accused of selling materials to Russia that could be used to make weapons. It's the first charge laid under the Special Economic Measures Act, which placed export controls on Moscow in response to Russian military intervention in Ukraine. The suspect has been identified as Anton Trofimov, aged 43. RCMP would not confirm whether he was shipping parts for drones to Russia to be used in its war effort, saying only that they were 'dual use' components, meaning civilian or military. 'These particular items are on the common high priority list that the Bureau of Industry and Security puts out. These are items that the Russian military does seek to procure,' explained RCMP Cpl. Cap. Martin Williamson. 'It's dual-use components - micro-chips, antennas, semi-conductor materials and whatnot. So, in terms of drones, I can't comment on that.' The case will be back in court at the end of June.
