Russia and Ukraine swap prisoners of war as fighting continues

WorldPolitics
10 Jun 2025 • 12:43 AM MYT
The Independent
The Independent

The world’s most free-thinking newspaper

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  • Russia and Ukraine conducted a prisoner of war exchange involving people under 25, a result of direct talks in Istanbul on June 2, with plans for larger swaps to follow.
  • The exchange aims to repatriate at least 1,200 POWs on each side and return the bodies of those killed, a rare point of agreement amid ongoing conflict.
  • Despite the prisoner exchange, fighting continues, with Russia claiming territorial gains in Dnipropetrovsk and Kyiv reporting a major drone attack by Moscow.
  • Freed Ukrainian prisoners, some held since the war's start, made emotional calls home, offering updates to relatives of those still captive.
  • Both sides stated the intention to exchange severely ill or injured prisoners in the coming days, with Russia providing psychological and medical assistance to its returned servicemen in Belarus.