Russia and Ukraine swap prisoners of war as fighting continues
.jpeg)
- Russia and Ukraine conducted a prisoner of war exchange involving people under 25, a result of direct talks in Istanbul on June 2, with plans for larger swaps to follow.
- The exchange aims to repatriate at least 1,200 POWs on each side and return the bodies of those killed, a rare point of agreement amid ongoing conflict.
- Despite the prisoner exchange, fighting continues, with Russia claiming territorial gains in Dnipropetrovsk and Kyiv reporting a major drone attack by Moscow.
- Freed Ukrainian prisoners, some held since the war's start, made emotional calls home, offering updates to relatives of those still captive.
- Both sides stated the intention to exchange severely ill or injured prisoners in the coming days, with Russia providing psychological and medical assistance to its returned servicemen in Belarus.