Russia accuses Ukraine of postponing exchange of prisoners and soldiers' bodies
The Kremlin has accused Ukraine of indefinitely postponing a scheduled exchange of prisoners of war and soldiers' bodies, leaving more than 1,200 sets of Ukrainian remains waiting at an exchange point with no-one to pick them up.
Russia and Ukraine on Monday conducted a second round of peace talks in Istanbul, where the two countries agreed to exchange more prisoners — focusing on the youngest and most severely wounded — and to return the bodies of 12,000 dead soldiers.
"In strict accordance with the Istanbul agreements, on June 6, Russia began a humanitarian operation to hand over to Ukraine more than 6,000 bodies of killed Ukrainian soldiers, as well as to exchange wounded and seriously ill prisoners of war, and prisoners of war under the age of 25," Kremlin aide Vladimir Medinsky said on Telegram.
He said 1,212 bodies of killed Ukrainian soldiers were ready in refrigerated containers at the exchange point, located on the border between the two countries, but Ukrainian negotiators had not shown up.
Russia had also handed over to Ukraine the first list of 640 prisoners of war, categorised as "wounded, seriously ill and young people", in order to begin the exchange, Mr Medinsky added.
Ukrainian officials responsible for the exchanges did not respond to a request for comment.
Mr Medinsky urged Ukraine to strictly adhere to the schedule and the agreements, and to immediately proceed with the exchange.
"We are on site. We are fully prepared to work. International TV channels, news agencies and correspondents are welcome to come and see for themselves that this is indeed the case," he said.
The Russian defence ministry said Ukraine is refraining from setting a date for the next round of prisoner exchanges.
"The Russian side has provided the Ukrainian side with a list of 640 names, but the Ukrainian side is currently refraining from setting a date for the return of these individuals and the transfer of the corresponding number of Russian prisoners of war," Lieutenant General Alexander Zorin said in a statement.
Representatives from Ukraine and Russia met for around an hour on Monday in Istanbul, for only the second such round of negotiations since March 2022.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan described the meeting as "great" and said he hoped the next meeting would include Russian President Vladimir Putin, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and US President Donald Trump.
Both sides agreed to exchange more prisoners of war and return the bodies of 12,000 dead soldiers.
However there was no breakthrough on a proposed ceasefire that Ukraine, its European allies and Washington have all urged Russia to accept.
The Kremlin said the process of reaching a settlement that would end the war in Ukraine was extraordinarily complex, and it would be wrong to expect any imminent decisions.
Kyiv said Mr Putin is not interested in peace, but proposed holding more talks before the end of June.
Mr Zelenskyy has also a proposed ceasefire until a meeting can be arranged with the Russian president.
"My proposal, which I believe our partners can support, is that we agree a ceasefire with the Russians until the leaders meet," Mr Zelenskyy said.
"At this time, people will understand that the nations, Europe, Ukraine and the whole world have a chance to end the war."
Reuters
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The Advertiser
an hour ago
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Ukraine says it is not delaying exchange of bodies
Russian claims that Ukraine is delaying exchange of soldiers' bodies are untrue, Ukrainian officials say, urging the Kremlin to stop "playing dirty games" and return to constructive work. Kremlin aide Vladimir Medinsky said on Saturday that Ukraine had unexpectedly postponed exchanging prisoners of war and accepting the bodies of killed soldiers for an indefinite period. Russian aircraft on Saturday carried out a new bombing raid on Kharkiv, killing one civilian and injuring more than 40, which Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy called "another brutal murder". Separately, Russian officials said a Ukrainian drone attack in the Moscow region wounded two people. Russia and Ukraine held the second round of peace talks in Istanbul on Monday where they agreed to exchange more prisoners - focusing on the youngest and most severely wounded - and to return the bodies of 12,000 dead soldiers. "Today's statements by the Russian side do not correspond to reality or to previous agreements on either the exchange of prisoners or the repatriation of bodies," Ukraine's state-run Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War said on Telegram. It said that the agreement on the repatriation of the bodies had indeed been reached but that no date had been agreed upon and that "the Russian side had resorted to unilateral actions" that had not been agreed within the framework of the process. Russia's defence ministry said on Saturday it expected the exchange of prisoners of war and the transfer of the bodies to take place soon. "To date, Kyiv has not given its consent to conduct the humanitarian operations. Representatives of the Ukrainian contact group did not arrive at the meeting place. We do not know the reason for the delay," the ministry said in a statement, citing Deputy Defence Minister Alexander Fomin. Medinsky said Russia had also handed over to Ukraine the first list of 640 prisoners of war, categorised as "wounded, seriously ill and young people," in order to begin the exchange. Ukraine, in turn, stated that it had also handed over the names for exchange, while Russia's lists did not correspond to the agreed approach as to which prisoners would be prioritised in the exchange. Medinsky earlier on Saturday urged Ukraine to strictly adhere to the schedule and the agreements and to immediately proceed with the exchange. He said that refrigerated trucks carrying more than 1200 bodies of Ukrainian troops from Russia had already reached the agreed exchange site. "We are on site. We are fully prepared to work," he said. "International TV channels, news agencies and correspondents are welcome to come and see for themselves that this is indeed the case." with AP Russian claims that Ukraine is delaying exchange of soldiers' bodies are untrue, Ukrainian officials say, urging the Kremlin to stop "playing dirty games" and return to constructive work. Kremlin aide Vladimir Medinsky said on Saturday that Ukraine had unexpectedly postponed exchanging prisoners of war and accepting the bodies of killed soldiers for an indefinite period. Russian aircraft on Saturday carried out a new bombing raid on Kharkiv, killing one civilian and injuring more than 40, which Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy called "another brutal murder". Separately, Russian officials said a Ukrainian drone attack in the Moscow region wounded two people. Russia and Ukraine held the second round of peace talks in Istanbul on Monday where they agreed to exchange more prisoners - focusing on the youngest and most severely wounded - and to return the bodies of 12,000 dead soldiers. "Today's statements by the Russian side do not correspond to reality or to previous agreements on either the exchange of prisoners or the repatriation of bodies," Ukraine's state-run Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War said on Telegram. It said that the agreement on the repatriation of the bodies had indeed been reached but that no date had been agreed upon and that "the Russian side had resorted to unilateral actions" that had not been agreed within the framework of the process. Russia's defence ministry said on Saturday it expected the exchange of prisoners of war and the transfer of the bodies to take place soon. "To date, Kyiv has not given its consent to conduct the humanitarian operations. Representatives of the Ukrainian contact group did not arrive at the meeting place. We do not know the reason for the delay," the ministry said in a statement, citing Deputy Defence Minister Alexander Fomin. Medinsky said Russia had also handed over to Ukraine the first list of 640 prisoners of war, categorised as "wounded, seriously ill and young people," in order to begin the exchange. Ukraine, in turn, stated that it had also handed over the names for exchange, while Russia's lists did not correspond to the agreed approach as to which prisoners would be prioritised in the exchange. Medinsky earlier on Saturday urged Ukraine to strictly adhere to the schedule and the agreements and to immediately proceed with the exchange. He said that refrigerated trucks carrying more than 1200 bodies of Ukrainian troops from Russia had already reached the agreed exchange site. "We are on site. We are fully prepared to work," he said. "International TV channels, news agencies and correspondents are welcome to come and see for themselves that this is indeed the case." with AP Russian claims that Ukraine is delaying exchange of soldiers' bodies are untrue, Ukrainian officials say, urging the Kremlin to stop "playing dirty games" and return to constructive work. Kremlin aide Vladimir Medinsky said on Saturday that Ukraine had unexpectedly postponed exchanging prisoners of war and accepting the bodies of killed soldiers for an indefinite period. Russian aircraft on Saturday carried out a new bombing raid on Kharkiv, killing one civilian and injuring more than 40, which Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy called "another brutal murder". Separately, Russian officials said a Ukrainian drone attack in the Moscow region wounded two people. Russia and Ukraine held the second round of peace talks in Istanbul on Monday where they agreed to exchange more prisoners - focusing on the youngest and most severely wounded - and to return the bodies of 12,000 dead soldiers. "Today's statements by the Russian side do not correspond to reality or to previous agreements on either the exchange of prisoners or the repatriation of bodies," Ukraine's state-run Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War said on Telegram. It said that the agreement on the repatriation of the bodies had indeed been reached but that no date had been agreed upon and that "the Russian side had resorted to unilateral actions" that had not been agreed within the framework of the process. Russia's defence ministry said on Saturday it expected the exchange of prisoners of war and the transfer of the bodies to take place soon. "To date, Kyiv has not given its consent to conduct the humanitarian operations. Representatives of the Ukrainian contact group did not arrive at the meeting place. We do not know the reason for the delay," the ministry said in a statement, citing Deputy Defence Minister Alexander Fomin. Medinsky said Russia had also handed over to Ukraine the first list of 640 prisoners of war, categorised as "wounded, seriously ill and young people," in order to begin the exchange. Ukraine, in turn, stated that it had also handed over the names for exchange, while Russia's lists did not correspond to the agreed approach as to which prisoners would be prioritised in the exchange. Medinsky earlier on Saturday urged Ukraine to strictly adhere to the schedule and the agreements and to immediately proceed with the exchange. He said that refrigerated trucks carrying more than 1200 bodies of Ukrainian troops from Russia had already reached the agreed exchange site. "We are on site. We are fully prepared to work," he said. "International TV channels, news agencies and correspondents are welcome to come and see for themselves that this is indeed the case." with AP Russian claims that Ukraine is delaying exchange of soldiers' bodies are untrue, Ukrainian officials say, urging the Kremlin to stop "playing dirty games" and return to constructive work. Kremlin aide Vladimir Medinsky said on Saturday that Ukraine had unexpectedly postponed exchanging prisoners of war and accepting the bodies of killed soldiers for an indefinite period. Russian aircraft on Saturday carried out a new bombing raid on Kharkiv, killing one civilian and injuring more than 40, which Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy called "another brutal murder". Separately, Russian officials said a Ukrainian drone attack in the Moscow region wounded two people. Russia and Ukraine held the second round of peace talks in Istanbul on Monday where they agreed to exchange more prisoners - focusing on the youngest and most severely wounded - and to return the bodies of 12,000 dead soldiers. "Today's statements by the Russian side do not correspond to reality or to previous agreements on either the exchange of prisoners or the repatriation of bodies," Ukraine's state-run Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War said on Telegram. It said that the agreement on the repatriation of the bodies had indeed been reached but that no date had been agreed upon and that "the Russian side had resorted to unilateral actions" that had not been agreed within the framework of the process. Russia's defence ministry said on Saturday it expected the exchange of prisoners of war and the transfer of the bodies to take place soon. "To date, Kyiv has not given its consent to conduct the humanitarian operations. Representatives of the Ukrainian contact group did not arrive at the meeting place. We do not know the reason for the delay," the ministry said in a statement, citing Deputy Defence Minister Alexander Fomin. Medinsky said Russia had also handed over to Ukraine the first list of 640 prisoners of war, categorised as "wounded, seriously ill and young people," in order to begin the exchange. Ukraine, in turn, stated that it had also handed over the names for exchange, while Russia's lists did not correspond to the agreed approach as to which prisoners would be prioritised in the exchange. Medinsky earlier on Saturday urged Ukraine to strictly adhere to the schedule and the agreements and to immediately proceed with the exchange. He said that refrigerated trucks carrying more than 1200 bodies of Ukrainian troops from Russia had already reached the agreed exchange site. "We are on site. We are fully prepared to work," he said. "International TV channels, news agencies and correspondents are welcome to come and see for themselves that this is indeed the case." with AP
ABC News
2 hours ago
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Russian attacks targeting the eastern Ukrainian city of Kharkiv have killed at least four people and wounded more than two dozen others, officials say, further dimming hopes for peace. The first wave on Ukraine's second-largest city on Saturday was a large Russian drone-and-missile attack in the early hours. It killed at least three people and wounded 21 others, according to local officials. In the afternoon, Russia dropped aerial bombs on the city centre, killing at least one person and wounding five more, Kharkiv Mayor Ihor Terekhov said. Mr Terekhov said the strikes also damaged 18 apartment buildings and 13 private homes and it was "the most powerful attack" on the city since the start of Russia's full-scale invasion in 2022. The warring sides also accused each other of trying to sabotage a planned prisoner exchange, nearly a week after Kyiv embarrassed the Kremlin with a surprising drone attack on military airfields deep inside Russia. Saturday's barrage, the latest in near-daily widescale attacks on Ukraine, included aerial glide bombs that have become part of a fierce Russian onslaught. As firefighters and emergency workers bustled around attack sites in Kharkiv, residents described the strikes that damaged their homes and nearly took their lives on Saturday morning. Alina Belous said she had tried to extinguish flames with buckets of water to rescue a young girl trapped inside a burning building who had called out for help. "We were trying to put it out ourselves with our buckets, together with our neighbours. Then the rescuers arrived and started helping us put out the fire, but there was smoke and they worried that we couldn't stay there. When the ceiling started falling off, they took us out," she said. Local resident Vadym Ihnachenko said that he thought at first that it was a neighbouring building going up in flames. "But when we saw sparks coming from the top, we realised it was our building," he said. Ukraine's air force said Russia struck with 215 missiles and drones overnight, and Ukrainian air defences shot down 87 drones and seven missiles. Several other areas in Ukraine were also hit, including the regions of Donetsk, Dnipropetrovsk, Odesa, and the city of Ternopil, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said in an X post. "To put an end to Russia's killing and destruction, more pressure on Moscow is required, as are more steps to strengthen Ukraine," he said. The Russian defence ministry said its forces carried out a night-time strike on Ukrainian military targets, including ammunition depots, drone assembly workshops and weaponry repair stations. There was no comment from Moscow on the reports of casualties in Kharkiv. Kharkiv's regional governor, Oleh Syniehubov, said the morning's attacks saw two districts in the city struck with three missiles, five aerial glide bombs and 48 drones. Among the wounded were two children, a baby boy and a 14-year-old girl, he added. Six people are believed to be trapped under the rubble of an industrial facility in Kharkiv's Kyiv district, the Kharkiv prosecutor's office said in a statement on Telegram. Contact with those trapped was lost and rescue attempts have been ongoing since early afternoon, it said, without naming the facility. Meanwhile, Russia's defence ministry said that its forces shot down 36 Ukrainian drones overnight, over the country's south and west, including near the capital. Drone debris wounded two civilians in the suburbs of Moscow, local governor Andrei Vorobyov reported. A US-led diplomatic push for a settlement has brought two rounds of direct peace talks between delegations from Russia and Ukraine, though the negotiations delivered no significant breakthroughs. Both sides remain far apart on their terms for an end to the fighting. On Friday, Russia struck six Ukrainian territories, killing at least six people and wounding about 80. Among the dead were three emergency responders in Kyiv, one person in Lutsk and two people in Chernihiv. AP
Perth Now
6 hours ago
- Perth Now
Ukraine says it is not delaying exchange of bodies
Russian claims that Ukraine is delaying exchange of soldiers' bodies are untrue, Ukrainian officials say, urging the Kremlin to stop "playing dirty games" and return to constructive work. Kremlin aide Vladimir Medinsky said on Saturday that Ukraine had unexpectedly postponed exchanging prisoners of war and accepting the bodies of killed soldiers for an indefinite period. Russia and Ukraine held the second round of peace talks in Istanbul on Monday where they agreed to exchange more prisoners - focusing on the youngest and most severely wounded - and to return the bodies of 12,000 dead soldiers. "Today's statements by the Russian side do not correspond to reality or to previous agreements on either the exchange of prisoners or the repatriation of bodies," Ukraine's state-run Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War said on Telegram. It said that the agreement on the repatriation of the bodies had indeed been reached but that no date had been agreed upon and that "the Russian side had resorted to unilateral actions" that had not been agreed within the framework of the process. Russia's defence ministry said on Saturday it expected the exchange of prisoners of war and the transfer of the bodies to take place soon. "To date, Kyiv has not given its consent to conduct the humanitarian operations. Representatives of the Ukrainian contact group did not arrive at the meeting place. We do not know the reason for the delay," the ministry said in a statement, citing Deputy Defence Minister Alexander Fomin. Medinsky said Russia had also handed over to Ukraine the first list of 640 prisoners of war, categorised as "wounded, seriously ill and young people," in order to begin the exchange. Ukraine, in turn, stated that it had also handed over the names for exchange, while Russia's lists did not correspond to the agreed approach as to which prisoners would be prioritised in the exchange. Medinsky earlier on Saturday urged Ukraine to strictly adhere to the schedule and the agreements and to immediately proceed with the exchange. He said that refrigerated trucks carrying more than 1200 bodies of Ukrainian troops from Russia had already reached the agreed exchange site. "We are on site. We are fully prepared to work," he said. "International TV channels, news agencies and correspondents are welcome to come and see for themselves that this is indeed the case." with AP
