Latest news with #AnatoliiLysianskyi
The Star
2 days ago
- Politics
- The Star
Kyiv rejects Russia's claims that Ukraine is delaying exchange of soldiers' bodies
Servicemen of 127th Separate Brigade of the Territorial Defence of the Ukrainian Armed Forces fire a howitzer towards Russian troops in a front line, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Kharkiv region, Ukraine May 23, 2025. Anatolii Lysianskyi/Press Service of the 127th Separate Brigade of the Territorial Defence of the Ukrainian Armed Forces/Handout via REUTERS/File Photo KYIV (Reuters) -Russia's claims that Ukraine is delaying exchange of soldiers' bodies are untrue, Ukrainian officials said on Saturday, urging Moscow 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 the Telegram messenger. 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. 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. (Reporting by Pavel PolityukEditing by Tomasz Janowski)
Straits Times
2 days ago
- Politics
- Straits Times
Kyiv rejects Russia's claims that Ukraine is delaying exchange of soldiers' bodies
Servicemen of 127th Separate Brigade of the Territorial Defence of the Ukrainian Armed Forces fire a howitzer towards Russian troops in a front line, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Kharkiv region, Ukraine May 23, 2025. Anatolii Lysianskyi/Press Service of the 127th Separate Brigade of the Territorial Defence of the Ukrainian Armed Forces/Handout via REUTERS/File Photo KYIV - Russia's claims that Ukraine is delaying exchange of soldiers' bodies are untrue, Ukrainian officials said on Saturday, urging Moscow 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 the Telegram messenger. 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. 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. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Irish Examiner
24-05-2025
- Politics
- Irish Examiner
Russia and Ukraine ‘swap hundreds more prisoners' hours after Kyiv strike
Russia and Ukraine have swapped hundreds more prisoners, according to the Russian defence ministry. The move is part of a major swap that marks a rare moment of cooperation in otherwise failed efforts to reach a ceasefire. The ministry in Moscow said each side brought home 307 more soldiers, a day after each released a total of 390 combatants and civilians. There was no immediate confirmation from the Ukrainian side. The announcement was made hours after Kyiv suffered a large-scale Russian drone and missile attack that left at least 15 people injured, according to local officials. Explosions and machine gun fire were heard throughout Kyiv from Friday night into Saturday morning as many people sought shelter in subway stations. In talks held in Istanbul earlier this month that marked the first time the two sides met face-to-face for peace talks since Russia's 2022 full-scale invasion, Kyiv and Moscow agreed to swap 1,000 prisoners of war and civilian detainees each. Russia attacked Ukraine with 14 ballistic missiles and 250 Shahed drones overnight, officials said, adding that Ukrainian forces shot down six missiles and neutralised 245 drones – with 128 drones shot down and 117 thwarted using electronic warfare. The Kyiv City Military Administration said it was one of the biggest combined missile and drone attacks on the capital. Drones also hit targets near Kharkiv (Anatolii Lysianskyi/Ukraine's 127th Separate Brigade via AP) 'A difficult night for all of us,' the administration said in a statement. The debris of intercepted missiles and drones fell in at least six city districts of the Ukrainian capital. According to the acting head of Kyiv's military administration, Tymur Tkachenko, six people required medical care after the attack and two fires were sparked in the Solomianskyi district of Kyiv. The Obolon district, where a residential building was heavily damaged in the attack, was the hardest hit. There were at least five people injured in the area, the administration said. Drones and missiles were used in the attack (AP) Kyiv's mayor, Vitali Klitschko, warned residents ahead of the attack that more than 20 Russian strike drones were heading toward the city. As the attack continued, he said drone debris fell on a shopping mall and a residential building in Obolon district of Kyiv. Emergency services were headed to the site, Mr Klitschko said. The prisoner exchange has not heralded a halt in the fighting. Battles continued along the roughly 620-mile front line, where tens of thousands of soldiers have been killed, and neither country has relented in its deep strikes. European leaders have accused Russian President Vladimir Putin of dragging his feet in peace efforts while he tries to press his larger army's battlefield initiative and capture more Ukrainian land. Kyiv residents took shelter in subway stations such as Kontraktova Ploshcha (AP) The Istanbul meeting revealed that both sides remain far apart on key conditions for ending the fighting. One such condition for Ukraine, backed by its Western allies, is a temporary ceasefire as a first step toward a peaceful settlement. Russia's defence ministry said it had shot down 788 Ukrainian drones away from the battlefield between May 20 and May 23. Ukraine's air force said Russia fired 175 Shahed and decoy drones, as well as a ballistic missile since late Thursday.
Irish Examiner
24-05-2025
- Politics
- Irish Examiner
Kyiv hit by large-scale Russian drone and missile attack
The Ukrainian capital has been struck by a large-scale Russian drone and missile attack that left at least 15 people injured, officials said. Explosions and machine gun fire were heard throughout Kyiv from Friday night into Saturday morning as many people sought shelter in subway stations. The attack came hours after Russia and Ukraine began a major prisoner exchange of hundreds of soldiers and civilians, the first phase of a swap agreed on by the two sides at a meeting in Istanbul last week. The second phase is expected to happen later on Saturday. In talks held in Istanbul earlier this month that marked the first time the two sides met face-to-face for peace talks since Russia's 2022 full-scale invasion, Kyiv and Moscow agreed to swap 1,000 prisoners of war and civilian detainees each. It was a rare moment of cooperation in otherwise failed efforts to reach a ceasefire in the three-year conflict. Russia attacked Ukraine with 14 ballistic missiles and 250 Shahed drones overnight, officials said, adding that Ukrainian forces shot down six missiles and neutralised 245 drones – with 128 drones shot down and 117 thwarted using electronic warfare. The Kyiv City Military Administration said it was one of the biggest combined missile and drone attacks on the capital. 'A difficult night for all of us,' the administration said in a statement. The debris of intercepted missiles and drones fell in at least six city districts of the Ukrainian capital. Drones also hit targets near Kharkiv (Anatolii Lysianskyi/Ukraine's 127th Separate Brigade via AP) According to the acting head of Kyiv's military administration, Tymur Tkachenko, six people required medical care after the attack and two fires were sparked in the Solomianskyi district of Kyiv. The Obolon district, where a residential building was heavily damaged in the attack, was the hardest hit. There were at least five people injured in the area, the administration said. Kyiv's mayor, Vitali Klitschko, warned residents ahead of the attack that more than 20 Russian strike drones were heading toward the city. As the attack continued, he said drone debris fell on a shopping mall and a residential building in Obolon district of Kyiv. Emergency services were headed to the site, Mr Klitschko said. The prisoner exchange has not heralded a halt in the fighting. Battles continued along the roughly 620-mile front line, where tens of thousands of soldiers have been killed, and neither country has relented in its deep strikes. Drones and missiles were used in the attack (AP) After the meeting on May in Istanbul, Turkish foreign minister Hakan Fidan called the prisoner swap a 'confidence-building measure' and said the parties had agreed in principle to meet again. But Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Friday that there has been no agreement yet on the venue for the next round of talks as diplomatic manoeuvres continued. Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov said Moscow would give Ukraine a draft document outlining its conditions for a 'sustainable, long-term, comprehensive' peace agreement, once the ongoing prisoner exchange had finished. European leaders have accused Russian President Vladimir Putin of dragging his feet in peace efforts while he tries to press his larger army's battlefield initiative and capture more Ukrainian land. Kyiv residents took shelter in subway stations such as Kontraktova Ploshcha (AP) The Istanbul meeting revealed that both sides remain far apart on key conditions for ending the fighting. One such condition for Ukraine, backed by its Western allies, is a temporary ceasefire as a first step toward a peaceful settlement. Russia's defence ministry said it had shot down 788 Ukrainian drones away from the battlefield between May 20 and May 23. Ukraine's air force said Russia fired 175 Shahed and decoy drones, as well as a ballistic missile since late Thursday.
