Ukraine, Russia exchange another group of prisoners of war
CHERNIGIV, UKRAINE: Ukraine and Russia exchanged a new group of captured soldiers on Thursday (Jun 26), the latest in a series of prisoner swaps agreed during peace talks in Istanbul earlier this month.
Neither side disclosed how many individuals were released in the latest exchange.
The two countries had pledged to swap at least 1,000 soldiers each during their direct meeting in Istanbul on Jun 2. No follow-up talks have been scheduled.
The return of prisoners of war and repatriation of war dead have remained among the few areas of cooperation between the warring sides since Moscow invaded Ukraine in 2022.
'Today, warriors of the Armed Forces, the National Guard, and the State Border Guard Service are returning home,' Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on social media.
He shared images of Ukrainian soldiers draped in blue-and-yellow national flags, smiling and tearfully embracing.
An AFP team in Ukraine's northern Chernigiv region saw relatives awaiting the return of prisoners, some holding posters of missing or captured soldiers in the hope that someone would recognise their loved ones and share news.
Svitlana Nosal learned that her husband Viktor had been freed.
'It's such a joy, I don't know how to describe it, how to put it into words,' she said, laughing and crying in the late afternoon sun.
The majority of those released on Thursday had been held captive for more than three years, according to Ukraine's Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War.
Many were taken prisoner in Mariupol, a Ukrainian port city that fell to Russian forces in 2022 following a nearly three-month siege.
Russia said its soldiers had been transferred to Belarus and were receiving psychological and medical care.
'Another group of Russian servicemen has been returned from territory controlled by the Kyiv regime,' the defence ministry said in a statement.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Straits Times
3 hours ago
- Straits Times
Ukraine F-16 pilot killed in large-scale Russian attack, Zelensky calls for US help
Explosion lights up the sky over the city during a Russian drone, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Kyiv, Ukraine on June 29. PHOTO: REUTERS Ukraine F-16 pilot killed in large-scale Russian attack, Zelensky calls for US help KYIV/LVIV, Ukraine - A Ukrainian F-16 fighter pilot died in a crash while repelling a Russian air attack that involved hundreds of drones, cruise and ballistic missiles, authorities said on June 29, as Moscow intensifies night-time air barrages in the fourth year of war. President Volodymyr Zelensky praised the pilot, Maksym Ustymenko, and bestowed upon him posthumously the title of Hero of Ukraine, the country's highest decoration. He also called for more support from Washington and Western allies to bolster Ukraine's air defences after the attack, which damaged homes and infrastructure across the country and injured at least 12 people, according to local authorities. In Kyiv, families huddled in metro stations for shelter after air raid sirens rung out. Machine-gun fire and explosions were heard across the capital and in the western city of Lviv, where such attacks are less common. The governor of the Lviv region, bordering Poland, said the raid targeted critical infrastructure. Ukraine has now lost three F-16s since it began operating the US-made jets in 2024. Kyiv has not revealed the size of its F-16 fleet, but they have become a central and heavily used part of Ukraine's defences. The pilot flew the damaged jet away from a settlement but had no time to eject before it crashed, the Ukrainian Air Force said. 'The pilot used all of his onboard weapons and shot down seven air targets. While shooting down the last one, his aircraft was damaged and began to lose altitude,' the Air Force said on Telegram. Ukrainian military expert Roman Svitan, speaking earlier this month, said the F-16 was not ideally suited to all tasks in the war, particularly repelling drones which swarm Ukrainian cities, as it is better used against higher-speed targets. Mr Zelensky, speaking in his nightly video address, said Mr Ustymenko had been flying missions since the time of a campaign that began in 2014 against Russian-financed separatists who had seized parts of eastern Ukraine. 'He mastered four types of aircraft and had important results to his name in defending Ukraine,' he said. 'It is painful to lose such people.' The Ukrainian military said in total Russia launched 477 drones and 60 missiles of various types to Ukraine overnight. Ukrainian forces destroyed 211 of the drones and 38 missiles, it said, while 225 more drones were either lost due to electronic warfare or were decoys that carried no explosives. Writing earlier on X, Mr Zelensky said: 'Moscow will not stop as long as it has the capability to launch massive strikes.' He said Russia had launched around 114 missiles, 1,270 drones, and 1,100 glide bombs just in the past week. A woman pets a dog as she takes shelter inside a metro station during a Russian military strike in Kyiv, Ukraine on June 29. PHOTO: REUTERS Russia's state-run RIA Novosti news agency said one person was killed by a Ukrainian drone in the Russian-controlled part of Ukraine's Luhansk region. Both Ukraine and Russia say they do not attack civilian targets. Political will Ukraine says recent attacks highlight the need for further support from Washington, which under President Donald Trump has not committed to new military aid for Ukraine. Mr Trump said he was considering a Ukrainian request for more Patriot missile batteries after he met Mr Zelenskiy at a Nato summit on June 25. 'This war must be brought to an end - pressure on the aggressor is needed, and so is protection,' Mr Zelensky said in his X post. 'Ukraine needs to strengthen its air defence - the thing that best protects lives.' People take shelter inside a metro station during a Russian military strike in Kyiv, Ukraine, on June 29. PHOTO: REUTERS He said Ukraine was ready to buy the American air defence systems and it counts on 'leadership, political will, and the support of the United States, Europe, and all our partners.' Russia has launched large-scale strikes on Ukrainian cities every few days in recent weeks, causing widespread damage, killing dozens of civilians and injuring hundreds more. During the latest barrage, explosions were heard in Kyiv, Lviv, Poltava, Mykolaiv, Dnipropetrovsk, Cherkasy and the Ivano-Frankivsk regions, witnesses and regional governors said. The Ukrainian military said air strikes were recorded in six locations. Eleven people, including two children, were injured in the central Cherkasy region, the regional governor said on Telegram. Three multi-storey buildings and a college were damaged. One woman was injured in western Ivano-Frankivsk region. Rescuers evacuated residents from apartment blocks in Cherkasy that had charred walls and broken windows. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
CNA
4 hours ago
- CNA
Ukraine F-16 pilot killed in large-scale Russian attack, Zelenskyy calls for US help
KYIV/LVIV: A Ukrainian F-16 fighter pilot died in a crash while repelling a Russian air attack that involved hundreds of drones, cruise and ballistic missiles, authorities said on Sunday (Jun 29), as Moscow intensifies night-time air barrages in the fourth year of war. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy praised the pilot, Maksym Ustymenko, and bestowed upon him posthumously the title of Hero of Ukraine, the country's highest decoration. He also called for more support from Washington and Western allies to bolster Ukraine's air defences after the attack, which damaged homes and infrastructure across the country and injured at least 12 people, according to local authorities. In Kyiv, families huddled in metro stations for shelter after air raid sirens rung out. Machine-gun fire and explosions were heard across the capital and in the western city of Lviv, where such attacks are less common. The governor of the Lviv region, bordering Poland, said the raid targeted critical infrastructure. Ukraine has now lost three F-16s since it began operating the US-made jets last year. Kyiv has not revealed the size of its F-16 fleet, but they have become a central and heavily used part of Ukraine's defences. The pilot flew the damaged jet away from a settlement but had no time to eject before it crashed, the Ukrainian Air Force said. "The pilot used all of his onboard weapons and shot down seven air targets. While shooting down the last one, his aircraft was damaged and began to lose altitude," the Air Force said on Telegram. Ukrainian military expert Roman Svitan, speaking earlier this month, said the F-16 was not ideally suited to all tasks in the war, particularly repelling drones which swarm Ukrainian cities, as it is better used against higher-speed targets. Zelenskyy, speaking in his nightly video address, said Ustymenko had been flying missions since the time of a campaign that began in 2014 against Russian-financed separatists who had seized parts of eastern Ukraine. "He mastered four types of aircraft and had important results to his name in defending Ukraine," he said. "It is painful to lose such people." The Ukrainian military said in total Russia launched 477 drones and 60 missiles of various types to Ukraine overnight. Ukrainian forces destroyed 211 of the drones and 38 missiles, it said, while 225 more drones were either lost due to electronic warfare or were decoys that carried no explosives. Writing earlier on X, Zelenskyy said: "Moscow will not stop as long as it has the capability to launch massive strikes." He said Russia had launched around 114 missiles, 1,270 drones, and 1,100 glide bombs just in the past week. Russia's state-run RIA Novosti news agency said one person was killed by a Ukrainian drone in the Russian-controlled part of Ukraine's Luhansk region. Both Ukraine and Russia say they do not attack civilian targets. POLITICAL WILL Ukraine says recent attacks highlight the need for further support from Washington, which under President Donald Trump has not committed to new military aid for Ukraine. Trump said he was considering a Ukrainian request for more Patriot missile batteries after he met Zelenskyy at a NATO summit last Wednesday. "This war must be brought to an end - pressure on the aggressor is needed, and so is protection," Zelenskyy said in his X post. "Ukraine needs to strengthen its air defence - the thing that best protects lives." He said Ukraine was ready to buy the American air defence systems and it counts on "leadership, political will, and the support of the United States, Europe, and all our partners." Russia has launched large-scale strikes on Ukrainian cities every few days in recent weeks, causing widespread damage, killing dozens of civilians and injuring hundreds more. During the latest barrage, explosions were heard in Kyiv, Lviv, Poltava, Mykolaiv, Dnipropetrovsk, Cherkasy and the Ivano-Frankivsk regions, witnesses and regional governors said. The Ukrainian military said air strikes were recorded in six locations. Eleven people, including two children, were injured in the central Cherkasy region, the regional governor said on Telegram. Three multi-storey buildings and a college were damaged. One woman was injured in western Ivano-Frankivsk region.
CNA
7 hours ago
- CNA
Zelenskyy signs decree for Ukraine's withdrawal from anti-landmine treaty
KYIV: Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Sunday (Jun 29) signed a decree putting his war-torn country on track to leave the anti-landmine Ottawa Convention, according to a document published on his website. The treaty bans signatories from acquiring, producing, stockpiling or using anti-personnel mines, which are designed to be buried or hidden on the ground. They often leave victims mutilated if they are not immediately killed, and aid groups denounce the long-term risk of unexploded mines for civilians. More than 160 countries and territories are signatories to the Ottawa Convention, though neither the United States nor Russia have joined. "I hereby decree... to put into effect the decision of the National Security and Defence Council of Ukraine dated June 29, 2025 on Ukraine's withdrawal" from the landmark convention, Zelenskyy said. To enter into force, the decision still must be ratified by the Ukrainian parliament and notified to the United Nations. Confronted with Russia's invasion, "Ukraine is compelled to give unconditional priority to the security of its citizens and the defence of the state," Ukraine's foreign ministry said in a statement. It said the decision to withdraw was "difficult but necessary" in order to "protect our land from occupation, and our people from horrific Russian atrocities.". "This step has been demanded by the reality of war long ago," a Ukrainian lawmaker, Roman Kostenko, said on social media. "Russia... uses mines against our military and civilians on a massive scale. We cannot remain bound by conditions when the enemy has no restrictions," he said. The treaty withdrawal, more than three years into Moscow's invasion, follows similar decisions by Kyiv's allies Poland, Finland, Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia, all neighbours of Russia.
