
Russia still ready for Ukraine prisoner swap: Kremlin
The Kremlin says Russia is still ready to honour agreements with Ukraine on a new prisoner of war exchange and the repatriation of dead soldiers despite what it calls Kyiv's failure to honour its side of the bargain.
Russia accused Ukraine on Saturday of indefinitely postponing the exchanges, something Kyiv denied.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov repeated Russian accusations against Ukraine on Monday.
"We have seen and heard a hundred different excuses, justifications and so on, but it is difficult to view them as credible," Peskov told reporters.
"The Russian side remains ready to implement the agreements reached in Istanbul."
The exchanges were agreed to during a second round of direct peace talks in Istanbul on June 2 and are meant to see a new prisoner of war swap of at least 1200 POWs - focusing on the youngest and most severely wounded - as well as the repatriation of thousands of bodies of those killed in the war.
The return of prisoners of war and the return of the bodies of the dead is one of the few things the two sides have been able to agree on, even as their broader negotiations have failed to get close to ending the war, now in its fourth year.
Kremlin aide Vladimir Medinsky said on Saturday the Russian side had shown up at the agreed exchange point with the bodies of 1212 Ukrainian dead soldiers, only to find nobody from Ukraine to take them.
He said a first list of 640 POWs had also been handed to Ukraine to begin the exchange.
Ukrainian officials rejected those accusations and President Volodymyr Zelenskiy vowed on Sunday to press on with prisoner exchanges despite tensions around the issue.
He said though that Ukraine had not yet received a full list of prisoners to be released and accused Moscow of "trying to play some kind of dirty political and information game".

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


West Australian
30 minutes ago
- West Australian
Russia and Ukraine swap more prisoners of war
Russia and Ukraine have exchanged more prisoners of war, both sides say, without giving details of the numbers involved. The exchange was agreed between the two sides at talks in Istanbul last week and an initial swap of prisoners under the age of 25 was conducted on Monday. The defence ministry in Moscow said the Russian soldiers freed in the latest handover were currently in Belarus, which borders both the warring countries, and would be returned to Russia for medical treatment and rehabilitation. The group of Ukrainian prisoners consisted of seriously ill and severely injured soldiers, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy wrote on social media. They will all receive immediate medical assistance, he said. Among them were members of the army, the National Guard, transport services and border guards, Zelenskiy said. Earlier, the Kremlin said it had been ready for several days to start handing over the bodies of Ukrainian soldiers killed in the war but that Ukraine was still discussing the details. The planned transfer of thousands of war dead was the other tangible result of the Istanbul talks, which resumed last month after a gap of more than three years but have made no progress towards a ceasefire. Russia has said it is ready to hand over the bodies of more than 6000 Ukrainian soldiers and receive any bodies of Russian soldiers which Ukraine is able to return. But Kremlin aide Vladimir Medinsky said on Saturday that the Russian side had shown up at the agreed exchange point with the bodies of 1212 Ukrainian dead soldiers only to find nobody from Ukraine to take them. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has accused Russia of "trying to play some kind of dirty political and information game" around the issue of the exchanges. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Tuesday: "There is no final understanding. Contact is being made, numbers are being compared. As soon as there is a final understanding, then we hope this exchange will take place." Russian state media has broadcast images of long white refrigerated trucks, containing bodies sealed in individual white bags, parked up near the border. Ukrainian officials said on Tuesday Russia launched one of its largest air strikes on Kyiv in the war and struck a maternity ward in the southern city of Odesa in attacks that killed at least three people. The overnight strikes followed Russia's biggest drone assault of the war on Ukraine on Monday and were part of intensified bombardments in what Russia says is retaliation for attacks by Ukrainian forces on Russia. with DPA


Perth Now
31 minutes ago
- Perth Now
Russia and Ukraine swap more prisoners of war
Russia and Ukraine have exchanged more prisoners of war, both sides say, without giving details of the numbers involved. The exchange was agreed between the two sides at talks in Istanbul last week and an initial swap of prisoners under the age of 25 was conducted on Monday. The defence ministry in Moscow said the Russian soldiers freed in the latest handover were currently in Belarus, which borders both the warring countries, and would be returned to Russia for medical treatment and rehabilitation. The group of Ukrainian prisoners consisted of seriously ill and severely injured soldiers, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy wrote on social media. They will all receive immediate medical assistance, he said. Among them were members of the army, the National Guard, transport services and border guards, Zelenskiy said. We continue the return of our people, as agreed in Istanbul. Today marks the first stage of the return of our injured and severely wounded warriors from Russian captivity. All of them require immediate medical attention. This is an important humanitarian act. Warriors from… Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) June 10, 2025 Earlier, the Kremlin said it had been ready for several days to start handing over the bodies of Ukrainian soldiers killed in the war but that Ukraine was still discussing the details. The planned transfer of thousands of war dead was the other tangible result of the Istanbul talks, which resumed last month after a gap of more than three years but have made no progress towards a ceasefire. Russia has said it is ready to hand over the bodies of more than 6000 Ukrainian soldiers and receive any bodies of Russian soldiers which Ukraine is able to return. But Kremlin aide Vladimir Medinsky said on Saturday that the Russian side had shown up at the agreed exchange point with the bodies of 1212 Ukrainian dead soldiers only to find nobody from Ukraine to take them. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has accused Russia of "trying to play some kind of dirty political and information game" around the issue of the exchanges. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Tuesday: "There is no final understanding. Contact is being made, numbers are being compared. As soon as there is a final understanding, then we hope this exchange will take place." Russian state media has broadcast images of long white refrigerated trucks, containing bodies sealed in individual white bags, parked up near the border. Ukrainian officials said on Tuesday Russia launched one of its largest air strikes on Kyiv in the war and struck a maternity ward in the southern city of Odesa in attacks that killed at least three people. The overnight strikes followed Russia's biggest drone assault of the war on Ukraine on Monday and were part of intensified bombardments in what Russia says is retaliation for attacks by Ukrainian forces on Russia. with DPA


7NEWS
5 hours ago
- 7NEWS
Prince Harry duped by ‘Greta Thunberg' hoax in embarrassing royal prank call scandal
It's one thing to fall for a prank call — it's another for it to make international headlines. Prince Harry, raised in the spotlight with royal training, was left red-faced after being tricked into a revealing phone conversation with Russian pranksters posing as Swedish climate and political activist Greta Thunberg. The hoax calls took place on New Year's Eve and again on January 22, 2020, just shortly after Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's dramatic exit from royal duties. Prince Harry was under the impression he was speaking with Ms Thunberg and her father, Svante Thunberg, as he openly shared his views on everything from climate change to his family's royal fallout, according to the Daily Mail. Prince Harry was completely unaware that the voices on the other end of the phone belonged to Russian prank duo Vladimir Kuznetsov and Alexey Stolyarov. The pair, known for similar stunts involving high-profile figures including Elton John and Bernie Sanders, later animated the calls and posted them on YouTube. The calls were made to Harry's landline in Vancouver, Canada, bypassing Buckingham Palace's security protocols. In one awkward exchange, 'Greta' claimed she was trying to rescue 50 penguins from Belarus customs. Prince Harry offered to help, responding: 'I do have a man who deals with the North Pole' — seemingly unaware that penguins live in the South Pole. The prankster did not stop at environmental jokes. Prince Harry was coaxed into condemning US President Donald Trump, claiming he had 'blood on his hands' over his climate policies. He also urged 'Greta' to seek meetings with Trump and UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson, whom he called 'a good man' capable of being persuaded. When asked about Prince Andrew's links to Jeffrey Epstein, Prince Harry distanced himself diplomatically: 'Whatever he has done or hasn't done is completely separate from me and my wife. We operate in a way of inclusivity and focus on community.' Biographer Robert Lacey, who detailed the calls in his book Battle of the Brothers, said Prince Harry had been 'coaxed into embarrassingly frank disclosures' and criticised the Sussexes' lack of security vetting after leaving the royal system. 'The hoaxers would never have got through Buckingham Palace's switchboard,' Mr Lacey noted. Despite the fallout, Mr Lacey wrote that Prince Harry 'emerged with a certain amount of credit' for speaking from the heart. During the calls, Prince Harry said his military service had made him 'more normal than my family would like to believe' and reflected on his and Meghan's decision to step back from royal life. 'Marrying a prince or princess isn't all it's made up to be,' he said. 'Our new life is much better.' Prince Harry also took the opportunity to lash the press, blaming UK tabloids for what he saw as a campaign to destroy him and Meghan. 'They're scared because we are some of the first people willing to stand up to their bullying,' he said. The scandal was quickly overshadowed by the outbreak of COVID-19, but its legacy lingered. Prince Harry's wariness of the media deepened, and the incident reportedly shaped the couple's ongoing push for tighter personal security.