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Euronews
25-05-2025
- Politics
- Euronews
Russia and Ukraine each release hundreds in large-scale prisoner swap
Ukraine and Russia exchanged hundreds of prisoners on Saturday in the second phase of a massive swap between the countries. Both sides released 307 servicemen, a day after 390 combatants and civilians were freed in the first phase on Friday. "Among those who returned today are soldiers from our army, the State Border Service, and the National Guard of Ukraine,' Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on his official Telegram channel. The majority of Ukrainian soldiers released were taken captive in the Donetsk region, some as long ago as 2022, the Ukrainian leader said in an additional video address. He added that others were captured in territories of the Kherson, Zaporizhzhia, Kharkiv, and Luhansk regions. A total of 697 Ukrainians have returned home over the past two days, with a third prisoner swap expected to take place on Sunday, which would make it the largest swap in thiree years of conflict. Kyiv and Moscow agreed to swap 1,000 prisoners from each side during the talks in Istanbul last week. It marks a rare moment of cooperation between the two nations, who have failed multipe times to reach on a ceasefire deal. However, the swap did not halt the fighting. On Saturday, a large-scale Russian drone and missile attack on Kyiv injured at least 15 people and damaged residential buildings and a shopping mall. "Russia fills each day with horror and murder; it's simply dragging out the war," Zelenskyy said in the video address on Saturday. ""Ukraine is ready for any form of diplomacy that delivers real results. We are ready for all steps that can guarantee true security. It is Russia that is not ready for anything. Next week must be a time for action aimed at increasing pressure on Russia – in other words, aimed at securing peace." Hungarian opposition leader Péter Magyar walked with a small group of supporters across the border to Romania and was met by supporters in the Romanian city of Oradea on Saturday morning. The president of the Tisza Party left Budapest 10 days ago, and departed on his journey in an effort to win support from Hungarian communities in Romania and appeal to voters who traditionally vote conservative, as Prime Minister Viktor Orbán provides financial support to ethnic Hungarians in Romania. "We are not going (to Romania) to escalate tensions or to cause any harm to our Hungarian brothers and sisters living there. We are going there to express our solidarity," Magyar had said before his departure. He had announced the march, called the "one million steps for peace and national unity" initiative, in the wake of Orbán's communion with far-right, anti-Hungarian presidential candidate George Simion ahead of the Romanian presidential elections. "It has become clear that the corrupt, tired and discredited Prime Minister sees Hungarians abroad as a political product. He tried and is trying to lure you to him not out of faith, not out of commitment, not out of love for his countrymen, but merely to win votes," Magyar said in a speech to hundreds of people in Oradea. "And now, in order to retain power, he is trembling, using increasingly crude means, crossing all boundaries, doing whatever he can, regardless of the damage he is doing to the nation," he added. The opposition leader recognised Hungarians "long for a country that loves each of its citizens, a country that does not stigmatise, that does not push into exclusion." He warned that division, incitement and hatred lead to destruction. "Orbán's destruction, hate-mongering and trench-digging are a thing of the past. The final countdown has begun," Magyar concluded. The politician told Euronews that he had experienced positive feedback from supporters, but he was also met by counter-protesters who chanted Orbán's name, and shouted "Traitor!" and "Go home". Magyar ended his speech by addressing the Romanian people. He applauded them for the outcome of their election, and encouraged them to stay on the European path. The politician emphasised the importance of mutual respect between Romanians and the Hungarian community.
The Independent
24-05-2025
- Politics
- The Independent
Ukrainian prisoners of war embrace loved ones in emotional reunion after Russia prisoner swap
Buses carrying 307 Ukrainian prisoners of war arrived at an undisclosed location in Ukraine on Saturday, 24 May, where emotional reunions unfolded between the returning soldiers and their families. The exchange with Russia, confirmed by both Kyiv and Moscow, is part of a broader agreement aimed at repatriating 1,000 individuals from both sides. 'Among those who returned today are soldiers from our army, the State Border Service, and the National Guard of Ukraine,' President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Telegram. The swap follows a similar exchange on Friday involving 390 personnel and civilians. Returnees will receive medical and psychological support.
Yahoo
24-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Russia and Ukraine exchange hundreds more prisoners
Russia and Ukraine have swapped 307 more prisoners each as part of the biggest such exchange since the war began. Volodymyr Zelensky and Russia's defence ministry confirmed the second prisoner exchange, a day after each side released a total of 390 combatants and civilians. 'Among those who returned today are soldiers from our army, the State Border Service, and the National Guard of Ukraine,' Mr Zelensky said on his official Telegram channel. 'We expect more to come tomorrow,' he added. Russia's defence ministry also said it expected the exchange to be continued, though it did not give details. Images released by Mr Zelensky's office showed freed Ukrainian service personnel arriving in buses at a rendezvous point inside Ukraine, where they hugged each other and draped themselves in blue and yellow Ukrainian flags. At least one of the released servicemen was in tears and was being consoled by a woman in military uniform. People assigned to greet the soldiers handed them cellphones, so they could call relatives. 'I can't believe I'm home,' one man said. A short video released by the Russian defence ministry showed Russian service personnel disembarking from buses and posing with the Russian flag, as well as the flags of the Soviet Union and the Russian empire. The exchange came hours after Russia launched a major drone and missile attack on Kyiv that left at least 15 people injured. Overnight, the Kremlin's forces attacked Ukraine with 14 ballistic missiles and 250 Shahed drones, officials said, adding that Ukrainian forces had shot down 6 missiles and neutralised 245 drones. Thank you for following our live coverage. The blog is now closed. A large-scale project is under way in Russian-occupied Crimea to rename schools in honour of Russian 'heroes' who have fought in the war against Ukraine. Local activists have said that over 200 schools in Crimea have been renamed, according to a report by ( 'The Russian occupation authorities in Simferopol, Sudak, Dzhankoi, Kirovskyi, Rozdolne and Chornomorskyi districts are the most actively involved,' an anonymous source said. 'In Simferopol, the Russian-installed city council decided to rename 27 schools. For example, school number 38 was renamed in honour of Vladislav Dorokhin, a so-called 'hero of the special military operation'. Memorial plaques, memory corners, historical displays and museums are being established in schools, and 'patriotic clubs' are being organised,' they added. The activist said that Russian authorities aim to expand the project to more schools Germany may consider reintroducing military conscription from as soon as next year if it does not attract enough volunteers for its armed forces, defence minister Boris Pistorius told the Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung on Saturday. Part of the Nato alliance, Germany is looking to enhance its military strength following Russia's invasion of Ukraine, but looks likely to fail to attract enough recruits. An additional 100,000 soldiers are needed in the coming years to meet Nato obligations, its armed forces have said. Its Conservatives, which lead a coalition in which Pistorius' Social Democrats are junior partners, have revved up military spending and signalled openness to a compulsory service in the armed forces, which was abandoned in 2011. 'Our model is initially based on voluntary participation,' Mr Pistorius said in an interview. 'If the time comes when we have more capacity available than voluntary registrations, then we may decide to make it mandatory,' he added. A new bill to that extent could come into force as soon as January 1, 2026, he said. Russia will send Kyiv its proposals for a memorandum to resolve the war in Ukraine 'in the coming days', according to Konstantin Kosachev, the deputy chairman of the Russian Federation Council. 'Work on the memorandum is underway. Firstly, it is in the final stage. Secondly, I expect that Russia's proposals will be sent to the Ukrainian side in the coming days. I have this information,' said Kosachev, reported by the RBC, a Kremlin-aligned Russian news outlet. Russian troops have executed Ukrainian prisoners more than 150 times, Kyiv's military intelligence agency said on Saturday. The agency reported multiple instances in which Russian troops received 'direct orders to kill' prisoners of war, and said there had been a sharp rise in executions since 2024. According to intelligence officials, these acts are 'not isolated incidents' but part of a deliberate and systematic policy of the Russian leadership. In March, the United Nations also reported increasing numbers of cases in which Russian forces deliberately killed or maimed Ukrainian soldiers who had surrendered or attempted to surrender. The agency's statement came hours after Russia and Ukraine completed the first stage of a prisoner exchange which, if completed, would be the biggest swap since the start of the conflict. Both sides received 390 people in the first stage and are expected to exchange 1,000 each in total over the coming days. Volodymyr Zelensky has confirmed that another 307 prisoners of war have been returned to Ukraine. 'Another 307 Ukrainian defenders are home. Today is the second day of the 1,000-for-1,000 exchange that we managed to negotiate in Türkiye. In just these two days, 697 people have been brought home. We expect the process to continue tomorrow,' Mr Zelensky wrote on social media. 'Among those who returned today are warriors from our Armed Forces, the State Border Guard Service, the National Guard of Ukraine,' he added. The European Union is considering disconnecting more than 20 banks from SWIFT, the international payment system, and lowering the price ceiling on Russian oil and banning the Nord Stream gas pipelines as part of a new package of sanctions aimed at increasing pressure on Moscow to end the war against Ukraine, Bloomberg has reported. The EU is also weighing additional transaction bans on about two dozen banks and some €2.5 billion ($2.84 billion) worth of fresh trade restrictions. The European Commission is consulting member states over the plans, according to people familiar with the matter. EU sanctions require the backing of all member states. Russia and Ukraine have swapped 307 prisoners of war with each other, the Russian defence ministry said on Saturday. 'Another 307 members of the Russian military were returned from territory controlled by the Kyiv regime. In exchange, 307 Ukrainian prisoners of war were transferred over,' the ministry said in a statement. The exchange will continue, the ministry added. Volodymyr Zelensky has described a 'difficult night for all of Ukraine' after Russia launched a 'massive' overnight attack involving 250 strike drones and 14 ballistic missiles. 'The Odesa, Vinnytsia, Sumy, Kharkiv, Donetsk, Kyiv, Dnipro regions suffered damages. All strikes targeted civilians. There are fatalities. My condolences to the families and loved ones,' the Ukrainian president said. Russian troops have captured the settlements of Stupochki, Otradne and Loknia in Ukraine's Donetsk and Sumy regions, the Russian defence ministry said on Saturday. The reports could not be immediately verified. Russia attacked the port infrastructure of Odesa last night, the Odesa Oblast prosecutor's office said, and an investigation has been launched. 'Under the procedural guidance of the Odesa regional prosecutor's office, a pre-trial investigation has been launched into the fact of committing war crimes,' the office said. Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky said Saturday that new international sanctions were needed to force Russia to agree a ceasefire, after Russian drone and missile strikes on Kyiv overnight injured 15 people. 'Only additional sanctions targeting key sectors of the Russian economy will force Moscow to cease fire,' he said on X, adding that 'the cause of prolonging the war lies in Moscow'. The overnight attack on Kyiv 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. Volodymyr Zelensky said the first phase of the deal brought home 390 Ukrainians, with further releases expected over the weekend, which will make it the largest swap of the war. Russia's defence ministry said it received the same number of people from Ukraine. The swap took place at the border with Belarus, in northern Ukraine, according to a Ukrainian official. The released Russians were taken to Belarus for medical treatment, the Russian defence ministry said. Russia launched dozens of attack drones and ballistic missiles at Kyiv overnight in one of the biggest combined aerial attacks on the Ukrainian capital of the three-year war, damaging several apartment buildings and injuring 15 people. Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky said in a social media post it had been a 'tough night' for Ukraine, and called for new international sanctions to pressure Moscow into agreeing to a ceasefire. The Kyiv city military administration and the police reported damage in six districts of the Ukrainian capital, and a total so far of 15 people wounded. Russia attacked Ukraine with 14 ballistic missiles and 250 Shahed drones, officials said, adding that Ukrainian forces shot down 6 missiles and neutralised 245 drones — 128 drones were shot down and 117 were thwarted using electronic warfare. Welcome to our coverage of the Ukraine-Russia conflict. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
Muscat Daily
24-05-2025
- Politics
- Muscat Daily
Ukraine, Russia swap hundreds more POWs
Kyiv/Moscow – Russia and Ukraine on Saturday said another 307 prisoners of war (POWs) had been swapped in the second day of the largest exchange since the start of the war. 'Among those who returned today are soldiers from our army, the State Border Service, and the National Guard of Ukraine,' Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on his official Telegram channel. Meanwhile, Russia's defence ministry added that it expected the exchange of prisoners to continue, without offering more details. On Friday, Zelenskyy and Russia's Defence Ministry said they had each handed over 390 POWs. The Russian Defence Ministry added each side released 270 soldiers and 120 civilians. The prisoner swap is the first stage of the '1000-for-1000' exchange agreement reached during the Russian-Ukrainian talks in Istanbul, Zelenskyy wrote on X. After more than three years of fighting, both countries are holding thousands of prisoners of war. Russia is believed to hold the larger share, with an estimated 8,000 to 10,000 Ukrainian captives. The swap comes amid renewed diplomatic initiatives to end the war. Russian and Ukrainian officials held face-to-face negotiations in Istanbul last week for the first time since 2022, the year Moscow launched its invasion. Russian attack injures several Meanwhile, Kyiv came under a large-scale Russian drone and missile attack early on Saturday morning. Blasts and machine gun fire were heard across the Ukrainian capital, forcing many residents to take shelter in subway stations. Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said two residents had required hospital treatment, and air defence units had been deployed to fend off the attack. Air defences activated: Kyiv mayor 'Explosions in the capital,' Klitschko wrote on Telegram. 'Air defences have been activated. The city and the region are under a combined enemy attack.' Klitschko said fragments from one drone hit the top floor of an apartment block in the Solomyanskyi district of the Ukrainian capital. One apartment block was ablaze in the area as was one non-residential building. At least eight people were wounded in the 'massive' attack, Klitschko said. The head of the capital's civil and military administration, Tymur Tkachenko, reported two blazes in the Sviatochynskyi district, missile debris falling in the Obolonskyi district, and drone debris falling on a residential building in the Solomianskyi area, which lies in the city's west. On Friday, Russian missiles killed two people and wounded several others in the Ukrainian port city of Odesa, according to authorities. DW
North Wales Chronicle
24-05-2025
- Politics
- North Wales Chronicle
Russia and Ukraine ‘swap hundreds more prisoners' hours after Kyiv strike
The move is part of a major swap that marks a rare moment of cooperation in otherwise failed efforts to reach a ceasefire. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Russia's defence ministry said each side brought home 307 soldiers, a day after each released a total of 390 combatants and civilians. 'Among those who returned today are soldiers from our army, the State Border Service and the National Guard of Ukraine,' Mr Zelensky said on his official Telegram channel. 'We expect more to come tomorrow,' he added. Russia's defence ministry also said it expected the exchange to be continued, though it did not give details. 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. Another 307 Ukrainian defenders are home. Today is the second day of the 1,000-for-1,000 exchange that we managed to negotiate in Türkiye. In just these two days, 697 people have been brought home. We expect the process to continue tomorrow. Among those who returned today are… — Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) May 24, 2025 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. '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. 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. 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.
