Soldiers return home after years in captivity as Ukraine-Russia prisoner swap begins
A new prisoner swap between Ukraine and Russia has begun, officials in both countries said Monday, with Ukrainian soldiers who have spent nearly the entire duration of the war in captivity among those returning home.
The exchange, agreed last week during talks in Turkey, involves detained people under the age of 25, as well as those who are seriously wounded, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed on Telegram.
It follows a dispute at the weekend during which Moscow accused Ukraine of holding up the exchange — a claim that Kyiv denied.
'Our people are home,' Zelensky wrote. 'Ukrainians are returning home from Russian captivity. The exchange began today and will continue in several stages over the next few days.'
Among those being released are Ukrainian soldiers who defended the city of Mariupol, which suffered a brutal Russian assault in the first few weeks of the war, the Ukraine Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War said.
The vast majority of those being released have been in captivity since 2022, according to Dmytro Lubinets, Ukraine's parliamentary commissioner for human rights.
Russia's Ministry of Defense also confirmed that the exchange is underway. 'The Russian servicemen are currently in the Republic of Belarus, where they are receiving the necessary psychological and medical assistance,' the ministry said.
Vladimir Medinsky, the head of Russia's delegation for peace talks with Ukraine, said last week that the exchange would be the largest since the start of the three-year war. He said Russia would transfer the bodies of more than 6,000 killed Ukrainian troops, plus an unspecified number of wounded servicemen.
Monday's news comes after a weekend of accusations being hurled between both Moscow and Kyiv in relation to the exchange.
Russia accused Ukraine of unexpectedly postponing the transfer of dead Ukrainian soldiers' bodies, leaving hundreds of body bags inside refrigerated trucks waiting at an exchange point it said Kyiv had agreed to.
Ukrainian officials rejected Russia's account of events, saying that the two sides had agreed to exchange seriously wounded and young troops on Saturday, but a date had not yet been set for the repatriation of soldiers' remains.
The prisoner swap was a result of a second set of direct peace negotiations that took place last Monday in Istanbul. Though the exchange was agreed upon, there were no major breakthroughs, with talks lasting a little over an hour.
As the prisoner exchange will last multiple days, and is 'quite complex,' negotiations between Russia and Ukraine will 'continue virtually every day,' Zelensky said Monday.
'We count on the full implementation of the humanitarian agreements reached during the meeting in Istanbul. We are doing everything possible to bring back every single person. We are working toward this at every level,' he added.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Zelensky calls on West to slash Russian oil price cap in half as strikes on Ukraine escalate
The price cap on Russian oil should be cut from $60 to $30 per barrel in order to pressure Moscow to declare a ceasefire, President Volodymyr Zelensky said in his evening address on June 10. Zelensky's comments come after the European Commission unveiled its 18th package of sanctions against Russia, including a proposed reduction in the oil price cap from $60 to $45 per barrel. The proposed EU sanctions are a step in "the right direction," Zelensky said, but stronger measures are needed. "Russia's ability to continue the war is equal to its ability to sell its oil and bypass financial barriers," the president said. "That is why it is necessary ... to do everything possible to keep the price of Russian oil lower than they can withstand. Each of the partners knows what price cap is needed — $30, no higher. Such a price level will mean real pressure on Russia – they should be forced to seek peace." The current price cap on Russian oil was introduced by the Group of Seven (G7) and EU in December 2022 as a mechanism to limit the Kremlin's ability to finance the full-scale war in Ukraine. The measure bans Western companies from shipping, insuring, or otherwise servicing Russian oil sold above $60 per barrel. The EU planned to discuss further cuts to the price cap at a G7 summit in May, but the U.S. reportedly blocked the proposal, according to the Financial Times (FT). EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said on June 10 that the amendments to the price cap proposed in the new sanctions package will be discussed at the G7 summit to be held on June 15-17. Zelensky called the EU's proposed cap of $45-per-barrel a "compromise price." "Enough compromises with Russia. Every such compromise is a postponement of peace. We are asking for a real reduction in the price of Russian oil, which would bring us closer to ending the war," he said. Russia's attacks on Ukraine are escalating, Zelensky said, necessitating the urgent need for stronger international pressure and tightened economic restrictions. "It is vital that there is no silence in response to the Russian escalation, and it is obvious that there is an escalation," he said. "Russia has been steadily increasing the number of lethal weapons in strikes for months now." The president's comments come after Russia launched one of the largest aerial attacks against Kyiv throughout the full-scale war. The night before, Ukrainian air defense forces shot down 479 Russian drones and missiles in a record-breaking strike. Read also: As Russia inches closer to Dnipropetrovsk Oblast, new Ukrainian region might soon be at war We've been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent.
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Kiev, Moscow exchange POWs after heavy overnight strikes hit Ukraine
Ukraine and Russia exchanged a second group of prisoners of war on Tuesday, after Ukrainian authorities reported another night of heavy Russian air attacks. The group of Ukrainian prisoners consisted of seriously ill and severely injured soldiers, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky wrote on Telegram. They will all receive immediate medical assistance, he said. Among them were members of the army, the National Guard, transport services and border guards, according to Zelensky. The Defence Ministry in Moscow confirmed that the exchange had taken place at the Belarusian-Ukrainian border. The Russian soldiers will be taken to Russia after a medical examination, the ministry said in a statement. Neither side provided any information about the number of prisoners that were exchanged. Ukraine and Russia swapped a first group of prisoners of war on Monday. Zelensky initially wrote that seriously injured people were among them, but the responsible Ukrainian authority later clarified that the group comprised soldiers under the age of 25. Zelensky confirmed on Tuesday that the exchanges would continue. During negotiations in Istanbul last week, the warring parties agreed to exchange at least 1,000 prisoners from each side, as well as several thousand bodies of fallen soldiers, but the implementation has been mired with complications. Moscow has accused Ukraine of refusing to accept the bodies of dead Ukrainian soldiers from Russian representatives. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov reiterated on Tuesday that more than 1,200 bodies of Ukrainian soldiers were waiting to be returned in refrigerated lorries at the Belarusian border. The spokeswoman for the Russian Foreign Ministry, Maria Zakharova, said it was inhumane that Ukraine was not taking back its dead. However, the Ukrainian coordination staff has pushed back against accusations from Moscow, saying the Russian side had begun the handover of the remains on its own authority without having agreed a precise date. It stressed that all dead soldiers will be brought home. Heavy strikes hit Ukraine's Odessa and Kiev Ukraine on Tuesday reported heavy overnight Russian airstrikes on the southern port city of Odessa and the capital Kiev. Two people were killed and at least ten others were injured after a drone strike in Odessa, Mayor Gennadiy Trukhanov wrote on Telegram. Attacks were also reported in the capital Kiev, where authorities said at least four people were injured. A dpa reporter described hearing heavy air defence fire during the night and Ukraine's air force said ballistic missiles were also used. The Kiev city military administration said damage was reported in six out of the capital's 10 districts. At least one woman was injured, and the Kyiv Independent reported, citing local authorities, that several cars caught fire and buildings were damaged. The Ukrainian air force said Russia had attacked with 315 drones and dummy drones, two North Korean ballistic missiles and five cruise missiles. It said 284 targets were neutralized, including all missiles and cruise missiles. Zelensky appeals for more pressure on Russia Zelensky called for more international pressure to be placed on Moscow following the overnight attacks. "Today was one of the largest attacks on Kiev. Odesa, Dnipro region, and Chernihiv region were also targeted," he wrote on the X platform on Tuesday. These airstrikes had "drowned out" all efforts by the United States and other countries to achieve peace, he said. Zelensky called on the US, Europe "and others around the world who called for an end to the war" to take action. The response to such Russian attacks must not be silence, he said. Russia says it shot down 102 Ukrainian drones In the Russian border region of Belgorod, a woman was killed in a Ukrainian drone attack, Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov said on Tuesday. There were also reports of injuries. The Russian Defence Ministry reported that 102 Ukrainian drones were shot down over several Russian territories and the Black Sea peninsula of Crimea, which was annexed in 2014. The information provided by the two countries cannot be independently verified. According to Russian media reports, one of the targets was a drone factory near the city of Yelabuga in the republic of Tatarstan. Russia's aviation authority placed temporary restrictions on take-offs and landings at 13 airports during Monday night and Tuesday morning, including the airports of Moscow and St Petersburg.
Yahoo
4 hours ago
- Yahoo
Europe heaps harsh sanctions on Russia, saying ‘strength is the only language' Moscow understands
The European Union announced a new package of sanctions against Russia on Tuesday, saying that Moscow's daily deadly attacks against Ukraine show that it is not interested in peace – despite recent diplomatic efforts. The new package – the 18th since Russia launched its full-scale unprovoked invasion against its neighbor in 2022 – is designed to further target the Kremlin's ability to make money from its oil and gas production. The proposal includes lowering the price cap on Russian oil exports from $60 to $45 per barrel and introducing a full transaction ban on Russian banks and financial institutions in third countries that help Russia circumvent existing sanctions. The EU said it is also proposing a ban on the use of Russian energy infrastructure, forbidding any EU operator from engaging directly or indirectly in any transactions that involve the Nord Stream pipelines. The new package will need to be approved by the EU's 27 member states. That could be complicated given previous concerns raised by some more pro-Kremlin governments, such as Hungary and Slovakia, about further sanctions targeting Russia. While both those countries have previously threatened to block new rounds of sanctions, so far they have ultimately voted in favor of them. The President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen said the sanctions were necessary 'because strength is the only language that Russia will understand.' 'We want peace for Ukraine. Despite weeks of diplomatic attempts, despite (Ukraine's) President (Volodymyr) Zelensky's offer of an unconditional ceasefire, Russia continues to bring death and destruction to Ukraine. Russia's goal is not peace, it is to impose the rule of might. Therefore, we are ramping up pressure on Russia,' von der Leyen said at a news conference in Brussels. The leaders of Germany, France, the United Kingdom and Poland last month told Russian leader Vladimir Putin to agree to a 30-day ceasefire or face possible 'massive' sanctions. Putin ignored the ultimatum, proposing instead 'direct talks' between Moscow and Kyiv. But two rounds of talks in Istanbul, Turkey, have made it clear Russia is sticking to its maximalist demands that would essentially equate to Ukraine's capitulation. 'Russia's ability to continue the war is equal to its ability to sell their oil and bypass financial barriers,' Zelensky said Tuesday night, calling the European sanctions package 'an important step' and also condemning the lack of similar measures from the United States. 'Russia has been constantly increasing the number of munitions in its strikes. This is a steady trend, and it means that Moscow is not afraid of anyone in the world,' the Ukrainian leader added. 'Putin wants to continue killing and is taking advantage of the fact that he is not getting a strong response. He does not hear Washington. And this speaks volumes to the world, to everyone.' Explaining why the EU has targeted Russia's energy sector, the Commission chief said oil exports still represent one third of Russian government revenues. 'We need to cut this source of revenue,' she said. The oil price cap was introduced by the EU and G7 countries in December 2022. The cap, which applies to Russia's seaborne oil exports, prohibits Western companies from providing shipping, insurance and other services needed to export the fuel unless it is priced below the threshold. By enforcing a price cap, the EU and its allies have tried to diminish a key source of revenue for the Kremlin while still allowing its oil to flow to the global energy market – because cutting Russia's supplies completely could destabilize the market and cause prices to shoot up. Von der Leyen said on Tuesday that the price cap needs lowering because global oil prices had fallen since the cap was first introduced and now trade 'very close' to the $60 level. The price of a barrel of Brent crude, the global oil benchmark, has dropped 18% since the price cap on Russian crude took effect on December 5, 2022. It was trading at almost $68 a barrel late morning Eastern Time (ET) on Tuesday. The bloc also wants to harden sanctions on Russia's banking sector. Shortly after the invasion, the United States, EU, Britain and Canada jointly banned some Russian banks from the SWIFT messaging service – a high-security network connecting thousands of financial institutions around the world. That has made it far more difficult for those banks to send and receive money from abroad. Now, the Commission wants to go a step further and prevent any EU operator, such a a business, from conducting a transaction with a list of sanctioned Russian banks. It also plans to add another 22 of Moscow's banks to that list. Additionally, the bloc wants to extend the transaction ban to financial institutions in third countries that help Russia circumvent existing sanctions. Von der Leyen said the latest package of sanctions will also broaden the current ban on materials and technologies that can be exported to Russia, adding: 'We want to make sure that Russia does not find ways to modernize its weapons with European technologies.' The sanctions will also include new measures against 22 Russian and foreign companies providing direct or indirect support to Russia's military and industrial complex. CNN's Victoria Butenko contributed to this report.
