Russia and Ukraine said Thursday, June 19, they had carried out a new exchange of captured soldiers. The fresh round of swap follows a second round of direct talks between Russia and Ukraine held June 2 in Istanbul.
At the meeting, both sides agreed to exchange all wounded soldiers and those aged under 25 – more than 1,000 people on each side. Moscow also promised to return the bodies of 6,000 Ukrainian soldiers killed in the war.
However, neither side disclosed how many soldiers were freed in Thursday’s exchange, which was the latest in a series of swaps since the June 2 meeting.
Ukraine said most of the returning troops had been held in Russian captivity since the early months of the 2022 invasion.
Many were suffering from serious medical conditions, including dystrophy, ulcers, vision and musculoskeletal problems, and heart issues, according to the government agency overseeing the exchange.
“Our people are returning home from Russian captivity,” President Volodymyr Zelensky said in a social media post, along with photos of smiling, emotional soldiers reuniting with loved ones.
Russia’s defense ministry also confirmed the exchange, posting images of released soldiers wrapped in Russian flags, cheering and waving.
Russia and Ukraine exchanged prisoners under 25 on June 9. Additional rounds on June 10, June 12 and June 14 focused on injured captives. Russia also transferred the remains of more than 6,000 Ukrainian soldiers in several stages.
The talks in Istanbul brought rare signs of limited cooperation. However, they did not result in a breakthrough. Russia rejected Ukraine’s call for an unconditional ceasefire and instead demanded Kyiv give up more territory and abandon its military ties with the West.