Ukraine and Russia swap more prisoners under Istanbul deal
dpa
Kiev
Ukraine and Russia swapped further prisoners-of-war on Thursday as part of an agreement reached in Istanbul earlier this month.
'Today, warriors of the army, the national guard and the border forces are returning,' Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky posted on Telegram. Most of them had been in Russian captivity since 2022, the year the full-scale invasion began, he added.
Zelensky did not say how many Ukrainians were being returned. The Defence Ministry in Moscow simultaneously confirmed the exchange, also without stating a number. It said the swap had been done on the Belarus-Ukrainian border.
The two sides agreed to swap prisoners under the age of 25, along with the seriously ill and wounded, in Istanbul at the beginning of June. Seven exchanges have since taken place.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has in the meantime mentioned more than 900 prisoners exchanged.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Qatar Tribune
11 hours ago
- Qatar Tribune
Russia condemns Israeli strikes on Iran, defends own war
The Kremlin has criticized Israel's recent airstrikes on Iran, insisting the conflict is not comparable to Russia's ongoing war in Ukraine. 'The outbreak of the conflict, actually, and the Israeli attacks on Iran were absolutely not provoked,' Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told state news agency TASS on Thursday. By contrast, he said, the background to the 'special military operation' - as Moscow calls its invasion of Ukraine - is 'well known to everyone.' Israel has defend its strikes on Iran with the need to stop the Tehran's nuclear weapons programme. The Israeli government sees the programme as a direct threat to its country. Russia, meanwhile, has justified its invasion of Ukraine by citing security concerns, including NATO expansion and the alleged oppression of Russian-speaking minorities. The attack on February 24, 2022 took place without warning - just a few days earlier, the Kremlin had publicly denied having any invasion plans. Iran is one of Russia's closest allies in the Middle East and uses Iranian-designed drones in its war on Ukraine. (DPA)
Qatar Tribune
11 hours ago
- Qatar Tribune
Russian advance in Sumy halted: Ukrainian commander
Kiev: Ukrainian forces have halted the Russian offensive in the Sumy border region in north-eastern Ukraine, Ukrainian Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi posted on Telegram on Thursday. 'The advance by Russian troops in the border area of the Sumy region has been halted and the battle contact line stabilized,' Syrskyi said. Ukrainian forces had recovered territory previously lost to the Russian forces, he added. Russian forces had made incursions into Sumy after recovering parts of the Kursk region in western Russian from the Ukrainians. The region is seen as the main line of advance in Russia's summer offensive, with large numbers of troops engaged. Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered the creation of a buffer zone within Ukraine and did not rule out seizing the regional capital of Sumy at the recent St Petersburg International Economic Forum. Russian forces are still some 20 kilometres from the city, where they have become bogged down, according to observers. Syrskyi posted that Ukrainian fortifications in the region were being extended. Coordination with the local authorities would also be improved, he said.
Qatar Tribune
11 hours ago
- Qatar Tribune
Ukraine and Russia swap more prisoners under Istanbul deal
dpa Kiev Ukraine and Russia swapped further prisoners-of-war on Thursday as part of an agreement reached in Istanbul earlier this month. 'Today, warriors of the army, the national guard and the border forces are returning,' Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky posted on Telegram. Most of them had been in Russian captivity since 2022, the year the full-scale invasion began, he added. Zelensky did not say how many Ukrainians were being returned. The Defence Ministry in Moscow simultaneously confirmed the exchange, also without stating a number. It said the swap had been done on the Belarus-Ukrainian border. The two sides agreed to swap prisoners under the age of 25, along with the seriously ill and wounded, in Istanbul at the beginning of June. Seven exchanges have since taken place. Russian President Vladimir Putin has in the meantime mentioned more than 900 prisoners exchanged.
