On Monday (June 9), Russia and Ukraine conducted a prisoner exchange, which included prisoners under the age of 25 and others who were severely injured.
Both sides announced that this was the largest prisoner exchange operation to date, as a result of direct negotiations in Istanbul on June 2. The two sides agreed to exchange at least 1,200 prisoners, along with the bodies of thousands of fallen soldiers from the war.
Despite multiple rounds of negotiations, the ongoing three and a half-year war has not yet ended. However, the return of prisoners and the fallen soldiers’ bodies is one of the few matters on which both sides are willing and able to reach consensus.
Ukrainian President Zelensky stated that Ukraine has received the first batch of prisoners from Russia, and the exchange process will take a few days to complete.
Zelensky posted on the social media platform Telegram, saying, “The exchange has started today and will be completed in several stages over the next few days.”
He added, “This process is very complex, involving many sensitive details, and negotiations are ongoing almost every day. We expect all humanitarian agreements reached at the Istanbul meeting to be fully implemented. We are making every effort to bring everyone back.”
Both sides did not disclose how many prisoners were exchanged on Monday, but the Russian Ministry of Defense stated in its own announcement that an equal number of soldiers were exchanged.
Kremlin advisor Medinsky stated over the weekend that a list of the first 640 prisoners has been handed over to Ukraine.
The Russian military mentioned that the repatriated soldiers are currently receiving psychological and medical assistance in Russia’s close ally, Belarus, and will later be transferred to Russia for further treatment.
Earlier on Monday, the Kremlin stated that despite Kyiv’s incomplete fulfillment of the agreement, Russia is prepared to carry out the agreement with Ukraine regarding the exchange of prisoners and repatriation of the bodies of fallen soldiers.
Ukraine denies the accusations of delaying the implementation of the agreement.