Ukraine, Russia say exchanged new group of POWs

KIEV

In this handout photograph taken and released by the Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War on June 10, 2025, Ukrainian prisoners of war (POWs), wrapped with Ukrainian national flags, pose for a photo following an exchange at an undisclosed location, amid the Russian invasion in Ukraine.

Ukraine and Russia said Thursday they had swapped a fresh group of prisoners of war, the third exchange this week as part of a deal agreed at peace talks in Türkiye.

In Istanbul last week the two sides agreed to each free more than 1,000 prisoners of war — all wounded or under the age of 25 — and return the bodies of killed fighters.

"Today, warriors of our Armed Forces, National Guard, and Border Guard Service are back home," Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky said on social media.

"They all require medical treatment," as they were "severely wounded and seriously ill," he added.

Russia's defence ministry also confirmed the swap, saying in a Telegram post that "a group of Russian servicemen was returned" from Ukraine.

The swapped Russian soldiers were now in Belarus, Moscow's close ally.

"We continue working to bring everyone home from Russian captivity. We thank everyone who helps make these exchanges possible — so that each and every one of them can be home, in Ukraine," Zelensky said.

He published pictures of the Ukrainian servicemen, all with freshly shaved heads — draped in national flags.

The oldest Ukrainian soldier freed on Thursday was 59, with the youngest 22, and they include some who were believed to be "missing in action," Ukrainian ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets said.

Russian state media showed Moscow's troops in camouflage chanting "Russia, Russia" with national flags around their shoulders.

The exchanges are the only concrete outcome from two rounds of peace talks in Istanbul, at which Russia rejected calls for an unconditional ceasefire and demanded Ukraine give up large swathes of territory and its bid to join NATO.

The first stages of the swap took place on Monday and Tuesday, with Russia on Wednesday handing back the bodies of 1,212 Ukrainian soldiers killed fighting Moscow's invasion.