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Russia says it has begun prisoner exchange with Ukraine

2025-06-09 16:16:00, Kosova & Bota CNA

The Russian Defense Ministry said the prisoner exchange — which it agreed with Ukraine on June 2 — has begun. Moscow said an unspecified number of prisoners, all under the age of 25, will be exchanged for Ukrainian soldiers.

"In accordance with the Russian-Ukrainian agreements reached in Istanbul on June 2, the first group of Russian soldiers under the age of 25 have returned from the territory controlled by the Kiev regime," the Defense Ministry said in a statement on June 9.

"In exchange, a similar number of prisoners of war from the Armed Forces of Ukraine have been transferred."

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who hours earlier expressed skepticism about a good outcome, confirmed that the exchange was underway. He stated that the prisoner exchange would “continue in several stages over the coming days.”

"The process is quite complicated, with many sensitive details, and negotiations continue every day. We expect full implementation of the humanitarian agreements reached during the meeting in Istanbul," he added.

Russian officials have accused Kiev of dragging out the process of exchanging prisoners of war and returning the bodies of fallen soldiers. They say Russia has already provided Ukraine with a list of 640 prisoners — with priority given to the wounded, seriously ill and young — who will be exchanged initially.

Ukraine has rejected accusations that it is dragging out the process, while the Ukrainian Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War has assessed that Russia's claims do not correspond to reality or previously reached agreements.

According to Ukrainian officials, although both sides have agreed in principle to return the nearly 12,000 killed soldiers after peace talks in Istanbul, no specific date for the exchange has been set.

Ukraine's Defense Ministry has accused Moscow of trying to "rewrite" the agreements reached in Istanbul and create "artificial obstacles and false statements" in order to delay the process. The ministry has warned that if Russia breaks its promises, it calls into question the credibility of the Russian negotiating team./ REL