The two nations have conducted a second prisoner swap in as many days, according to the Defense Ministry in Moscow
Russian Ministry of Defense
Russia and Ukraine exchanged more prisoners of war on Friday, according to the Russian Defense Ministry. A similar swap was carried out the previous day.
The ministry’s statement did not specify the number of troops returned by each side but did contain footage of more than a dozen Russian soldiers boarding a bus. Both exchanges were conducted based on an agreement that Moscow and Kiev reached during their direct talks in Istanbul earlier this month, the ministry noted.
In both cases, the Russian soldiers were transported to Belarus, where the ministry said they were offered psychological and medical care before being returned to Russia for rehabilitation.
Russian Ministry of Defense
Ukraine’s Vladimir Zelensky also reported the exchange while likewise declining to provide any numbers.
The humanitarian exchanges since the June 2 negotiations have also included repatriation of the remains of slain soldiers. Russia has returned the remains of over 6,000 Ukrainian soldiers and received 57 in return.