Russia and Ukraine have conducted an exchange of prisoners of war under the age of 25, according to a statement from the Russian Ministry of Defense.
The first group of these Russian servicemen returned from Ukraine on June 9 and is currently on the territory of Belarus. “An equivalent number of Ukrainian Armed Forces POWs were handed over in return,” the ministry’s statement said.
The exact number of prisoners released on both sides has not been disclosed.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed the start of the POW exchange, which, according to him, will continue in several stages over the coming days.
“Among the categories being returned now are the wounded and seriously wounded, as well as those under 25. The process is quite complex, with many sensitive details. Negotiations are ongoing practically every day,” he wrote on his Telegram channel.