Latest news with #IstanbulAgreements
Arab News
19 hours ago
- Politics
- Arab News
Zelensky says Ukraine halted Russian troop advance in Sumy region
KYIV: Ukrainian forces have stopped Russian troops advancing in the northeastern Sumy region and are now battling to regain control along the border with Russia, President Volodymyr Zelensky said. In remarks released for publication by his office on Saturday, Zelensky said that Moscow has amassed about 53,000 troops in the direction of Sumy. 'We are leveling the position. The fighting there is along the border. You should understand that the enemy has been stopped there. And the maximum depth at which the fighting takes place is 7 km from the border,' Zelensky said. Meanwhile, Ukraine and Russia conducted another POW swap — the fourth one in a week — the warring sides said on Saturday, under agreements reached in Istanbul earlier this month. 'We continue to take our people out of Russian captivity. This is the fourth exchange in a week,' President Zelensky wrote on social media. 'In accordance with the Russian-Ukrainian agreements ... another group of Russian servicemen was returned from the territory controlled by the Kyiv regime,' Russia's Defense Ministry said on Telegram. Kyiv also said it had received another batch of 1,200 unidentified bodies from Russia, which it said Russia claimed 'belong to Ukrainian citizens, including military personnel,' as part of the Istanbul agreements as well. Ukraine did not say whether it returned any bodies to Russia. Some were injured, others disembarked from buses and hugged those welcoming them, or were seen calling someone by phone, sometimes covering their faces or smiling. Moscow's Defense Ministry released its own video showing men in uniforms holding Russian flags, clapping and chanting 'Russia, Russia,' 'glory to Russia' and 'hooray,' some raising their fists in the air.
CNA
a day ago
- Politics
- CNA
Ukraine and Russia conduct another POW swap
KYIV: Ukraine and Russia conducted another POW swap - the fourth one in a week - the warring sides said on Saturday (Jun 14), under agreements reached in Istanbul earlier this month. "We continue to take our people out of Russian captivity. This is the fourth exchange in a week," Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy wrote on social media. "In accordance with the Russian-Ukrainian agreements ... another group of Russian servicemen was returned from the territory controlled by the Kyiv regime," Russia's defence ministry said on Telegram. Kyiv also said it had received another batch of 1,200 unidentified bodies from Russia, which it said Russia claimed "belong to Ukrainian citizens, including military personnel," as part of the Istanbul agreements as well. Photos published by Zelenskyy on Telegram showed men of various ages, mostly with shaved heads, wearing camouflage and draped in Ukrainian flags. Some were injured, others disembarked from buses and hugged those welcoming them, or were seen calling someone by phone, sometimes covering their faces or smiling. Moscow's defence ministry released its own video showing men in uniforms holding Russian flags, clapping and chanting "Russia, Russia", "glory to Russia" and "hooray", some raising their fists in the air. The exchange came as Russia repeatedly rejected ceasefire calls and intensified its offensive along the front line, and especially in the northeastern Sumy region, where it seeks to establish a "buffer zone" to protect its Kursk region, previously partly occupied by Ukraine. Zelenskyy claimed Russia's advance on Sumy was stopped, adding that Kyiv's forces have managed to retake one village.
Yahoo
a day ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Ukraine brings back officers in emotional prisoner exchange on 14 June
Ukraine brought back another group of prisoners of war from Russian captivity on 14 June 2025, most of them officers, as part of exchanges under the Istanbul agreements. Complex negotiations on the next stages of the exchange are ongoing. Source: Major Andrii Yusov, Deputy Head of the Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War and a representative of Defence Intelligence of Ukraine, in comments to Ukrainska Pravda and on air during the national 27/7 newscast; videos from the Coordination Headquarters; Defence Minister Rustem Umierov on Facebook; State Border Guard Service Quote from Yusov: "A distinctive feature of today's stage of the exchange is that it combines two categories agreed upon in Istanbul: the seriously ill and severely wounded, and young defenders aged 25 and under. Most of those brought back today are Ukrainian officers. It's no secret that throughout the full-scale invasion, getting officers back has been a particularly difficult task. The emotions of the families today, some of whom have waited for over three years, are difficult to put into words, and this is inspiring. The work will continue." Details: Yusov emphasised that for security reasons, the Coordination Headquarters is not disclosing the number of prisoners of war released until the major exchange under the Istanbul agreements is complete, as negotiations are ongoing. He noted that the week's repatriation efforts have been dogged by information attacks, pressure on the negotiating team and prisoners' families, and Russian misinformation. "Nevertheless, Ukraine is holding firm, the negotiating group is working, and we are bringing our people home," Yusov added. More details: Yusov confirmed that repatriation measures also took place on Saturday 14 June, and he refuted Russian propaganda claims that Ukraine has been refusing to collect the bodies of its fallen soldiers. He stated that the process is ongoing. Regarding the duration of the large-scale exchange, Yusov did not provide a specific timeline, saying: "This week has been very intense, and I think the coming days are going to be no less stressful." Background: The Istanbul agreements reached on 2 June 2025 include an all-for-all exchange of severely wounded and young soldiers (aged 18-25) and a 6,000-for-6,000 repatriation of fallen soldiers' bodies. Previous exchanges this week have brought back Mariupol defenders and other seriously injured captives. Support Ukrainska Pravda on Patreon!
News.com.au
a day ago
- Politics
- News.com.au
Ukraine and Russia conduct another POW swap
Ukraine and Russia conducted another POW swap -- the fourth one in a week -- the warring sides said on Saturday, under agreements reached in Istanbul earlier this month. "We continue to take our people out of Russian captivity. This is the fourth exchange in a week," Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky wrote on social media. "In accordance with the Russian-Ukrainian agreements... another group of Russian servicemen was returned from the territory controlled by the Kyiv regime," Russia's defence ministry said on Telegram. Kyiv also said it had received another batch of 1,200 unidentified bodies from Russia, which it said Russia claimed "belong to Ukrainian citizens, including military personnel," as part of the Istanbul agreements as well. Ukraine did not say whether it returned any bodies to Russia. Photos published by Zelensky on Telegram showed men of various ages, mostly with shaved heads, wearing camouflage and draped in Ukrainian flags. Some were injured, others disembarked from buses and hugged those welcoming them, or were seen calling someone by phone, sometimes covering their faces or smiling. Moscow's defence ministry released its own video showing men in uniforms holding Russian flags, clapping and chanting "Russia, Russia", "glory to Russia" and "hooray", some raising their fists in the air. The exchange came as Russia repeatedly rejected ceasefire calls and intensified its offensive along the front line, and especially in the northeastern Sumy region, where it seeks to establish a "buffer zone" to protect its Kursk region, previously partly occupied by Ukraine. Zelensky claimed Russia's advance on Sumy was stopped, adding that Kyiv's forces have managed to retake one village. According to the Ukrainian president, Russia was using 53,000 men in the Sumy operation.
Saba Yemen
27-04-2025
- Politics
- Saba Yemen
Russian expert: Russia shows clear interest in ending Ukrainian conflict
Moscow - Saba: Alexei Martynov, Associate Professor at the Russian State Financial University and President of the International Institute for Emerging Countries, confirmed that Russia is interested in ending the Ukrainian conflict as quickly as possible. Sputnik quoted Martynov as saying, "In fact, Russia, as well as the United States, is interested in ending the Ukrainian crisis as soon as possible." He added, "On the other hand, Zelensky is bargaining over his guarantees, realizing that he is a redundant figure in the current situation. Russia is already ready to resume talks without any conditions. Our position is known, published, and announced." He added that Moscow rightly considers the Istanbul Agreements, which were never implemented, as a basis for potential negotiations with Kyiv. Martynov continued: "This is all just an exchange of signals. This is our position, and it is widely known. There is clear progress, and it is very good progress. It is also important that the phrase 'negotiations without preconditions' means that both sides have no preconditions... The goal is to sit down and start a dialogue. On Saturday, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov stated that Russian President Vladimir Putin confirmed Russia's readiness to negotiate with Ukraine without preconditions during his meeting with US President Donald Trump's special envoy, Steve Witkoff. Whatsapp Telegram Email Print
