‘We Must Bring Everyone Home’: Ukraine, Russia Begin Exchange of Young, Wounded Prisoners

Russia and Ukraine confirmed Monday, June 9, that they’ve begun a new prisoner exchange, starting with young captives under the age of 25.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said the exchange began earlier in the day and would continue in stages over the coming days. He said the current group being returned includes the wounded, the seriously wounded, and those under 25.

“This process is very complex and sensitive,” Zelensky said. “Negotiations are ongoing almost every day. We are doing everything we can to bring our people home.”

Russia’s Defense Ministry said its first group of young soldiers – all under 25 – had been returned from Ukraine and had arrived in Belarus, a close ally of Moscow. The ministry did not say how many soldiers were released.

The exchange 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.

Zelensky said the agreements reached in Istanbul on humanitarian issues must be fully honored.

“We must bring everyone home,” he said. “We are working on this at all levels.”

This exchange is set to be the largest of the war, topping last month’s 1,000-for-1,000 swap that was agreed at a first round of talks in Istanbul.

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As Kyiv Post reported earlier, the exchange was thrown into question over the weekend as both sides accused each other of delaying and thwarting the swap. 

In his evening address on Sunday, President Volodymyr Zelensky accused the Kremlin of playing a “dirty, political” game over the swap after the two sides accused each other of delays.

“The Russian side, as usual, is trying to play a dirty, political, information game,” Zelensky said adding that if Russia fails to comply with the deal to release more than 1,000 captured soldiers, it “will cast great doubt” on diplomatic efforts a peace.