On Monday, an exchange of prisoners of war—those under 25 and several severely wounded soldiers—took place following a June 2 agreement negotiated in Istanbul between Russian and Ukrainian diplomats.
This marks the first phase of a deal expected to involve the exchange of at least 1,200 POWs and the repatriation of thousands of bodies.
Neither side disclosed the number of prisoners exchanged, but Russian chief negotiator Vladimir Medinsky said over the weekend that a list of 640 POWs had been handed to Ukraine.
“Today’s exchange has begun. It will be done in several stages in the coming days,” Ukraine’s president Zelensky wrote on Telegram.
The Kremlin said earlier on Monday that Russia remains willing to proceed with prisoner and fallen soldier exchanges, despite accusing Ukraine of failing to uphold its part of the deal. Ukraine has denied delaying the process.
