Latest news with #CoordinationHeadquarters
Al Jazeera
15-06-2025
- Politics
- Al Jazeera
Russia returns bodies of 1,200 more Ukrainians as part of POW swap
Russia has returned the bodies of 1,200 more Ukrainians killed in the war, according to Ukrainian authorities, bringing the total number of bodies repatriated to over 4,800, while the push for a ceasefire and an end to the conflict now in its fourth year remain elusive. Ukraine's Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners, the Ukrainian government body that oversees affairs regarding prisoners of war (POW), announced the news on Telegram, saying the handover was part of an agreement struck in talks in Istanbul earlier this month. 'I am grateful to everyone involved in this humanitarian mission,' said Ukrainian Defence Minister Rustem Umerov. 'Ahead is an important and responsible stage of identification. This is a complex and delicate work that will give each family the opportunity to receive answers.' In a series of exchanges this week, Ukraine has repatriated more than 4,800 bodies returned by Russia, in accordance with the Istanbul agreement, Ukrainian officials said. This marks one of the largest returns of war dead since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Russian state media confirmed the latest handover of 1,200 Ukrainians, but said Moscow had not received a single Russian corpse in return. 'Russia says Ukraine hasn't stuck to its side [of the deal], that it hasn't reciprocated' reported Al Jazeera's Assed Baig from Kyiv. Ukraine has yet to comment. As per their agreement in Istanbul, Kyiv and Moscow are to each hand over as many as 6,000 bodies and to exchange sick and heavily wounded prisoners of war and those aged under 25. But Russia has so far reported only receiving a total of 27 Russian servicemen. The latest handover of Ukrainians came as Russia claimed to seize the village of Malynivka in Ukraine's Donetsk region and also appeared to close in on the northeastern Sumy region. 'Russian forces are roughly 18-20kms (11.2-12.4 miles) away from the capital of the Sumy region, which has been under constant drone and missile attack,' said Baig.
Yahoo
14-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Ukraine brings back officers in emotional prisoner exchange on 14 June
Ukraine brought back another group of prisoners of war from Russian captivity on 14 June 2025, most of them officers, as part of exchanges under the Istanbul agreements. Complex negotiations on the next stages of the exchange are ongoing. Source: Major Andrii Yusov, Deputy Head of the Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War and a representative of Defence Intelligence of Ukraine, in comments to Ukrainska Pravda and on air during the national 27/7 newscast; videos from the Coordination Headquarters; Defence Minister Rustem Umierov on Facebook; State Border Guard Service Quote from Yusov: "A distinctive feature of today's stage of the exchange is that it combines two categories agreed upon in Istanbul: the seriously ill and severely wounded, and young defenders aged 25 and under. Most of those brought back today are Ukrainian officers. It's no secret that throughout the full-scale invasion, getting officers back has been a particularly difficult task. The emotions of the families today, some of whom have waited for over three years, are difficult to put into words, and this is inspiring. The work will continue." Details: Yusov emphasised that for security reasons, the Coordination Headquarters is not disclosing the number of prisoners of war released until the major exchange under the Istanbul agreements is complete, as negotiations are ongoing. He noted that the week's repatriation efforts have been dogged by information attacks, pressure on the negotiating team and prisoners' families, and Russian misinformation. "Nevertheless, Ukraine is holding firm, the negotiating group is working, and we are bringing our people home," Yusov added. More details: Yusov confirmed that repatriation measures also took place on Saturday 14 June, and he refuted Russian propaganda claims that Ukraine has been refusing to collect the bodies of its fallen soldiers. He stated that the process is ongoing. Regarding the duration of the large-scale exchange, Yusov did not provide a specific timeline, saying: "This week has been very intense, and I think the coming days are going to be no less stressful." Background: The Istanbul agreements reached on 2 June 2025 include an all-for-all exchange of severely wounded and young soldiers (aged 18-25) and a 6,000-for-6,000 repatriation of fallen soldiers' bodies. Previous exchanges this week have brought back Mariupol defenders and other seriously injured captives. Support Ukrainska Pravda on Patreon!
Yahoo
14-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Ukraine, Russia conduct fourth prisoner exchange this week
Kyiv is continuing efforts to bring home its citizens held captive by Russia, marking the fourth prisoner exchange in a week, President Volodymyr Zelensky announced on June 14. "Today, among those returning to Ukraine, many have been in captivity since 2022," Zelensky said. "These include soldiers from the Armed Forces, National Guard, State Border Guard Service, and the State Special Transport Service." The exchanges are part of the agreement reached during talks held in Istanbul earlier this month, where both sides agreed to phased prisoner swaps and repatriation of fallen soldiers. The latest group freed on June 14 mainly consists of severely wounded and seriously ill soldiers, many of whom were captured during the defense of Mariupol in 2022. Most of the released defenders are officers, with some younger than 25 years old. These Ukrainian defenders served on multiple fronts including Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia, Luhansk, Kherson, Kharkiv, Sumy, and Kursk directions, the Coordination Headquarters for Prisoners of War stated. Ukraine has brought home another group of service members from Russian captivity on June 12. The prisoners of war (POWs) were also released as part of a prisoner exchange with Russia agreed upon during recent peace talks in Istanbul. The June 12 release follows a similar exchange on June 10, which also prioritized severely injured and ill captives. As during the previous swap, the number of personnel released was not immediately disclosed. The Istanbul deal was reached during a second round of direct talks between the Ukrainian and Russian delegations on June 2. While no political breakthrough was achieved, both sides agreed to a phased exchange of prisoners and the repatriation of fallen soldiers' bodies. As part of that agreement, Russia pledged to return the bodies of up to 6,000 Ukrainian service members. Ukraine brought back the bodies of 2,412 Ukrainian nationals, including fallen service members, on June 13 and June 11, as well as 1,200 on June 14. Despite ongoing exchanges, Ukraine continues to push for an "all-for-all" formula to bring every captured Ukrainian soldier home, a proposal Moscow has so far rejected. The Coordination Headquarters said preparations are underway for the next phase of prisoner releases in the coming weeks as Kyiv maintains its commitment to recovering all those held captive. The freed defenders will undergo medical examinations, receive physical and psychological rehabilitation, and be granted all entitled compensation for their time in captivity, according to the Coordination Headquarters. In a conversation with journalists, Zelensky expressed hope that the prisoner exchanges would be completed by June 20 or 21. We've been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent.
Yahoo
14-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Ukraine repatriates bodies of 1,200 citizens in latest swap with Russia
Ukraine has recovered the bodies of 1,200 fallen citizens, including military personnel, in the latest round of repatriation efforts coordinated with Russia under agreements reached during talks in Istanbul, Ukrainian officials said on June 14. This latest repatriation follows the return of 2,412 bodies earlier on June 13 and June 11, reflecting an intensification of efforts after the June 2 Istanbul talks between the two sides. The Coordination Headquarters for Prisoners of War said the bodies, which Russian authorities claim belong to Ukrainian nationals, were returned as part of an ongoing phased exchange process. "The remains will now undergo forensic examination and identification procedures conducted by law enforcement investigators in cooperation with expert institutions under the Interior Ministry," the Coordination Headquarters said in a statement. The repatriation operation was coordinated by the Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War (POWs) alongside the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU), the Ombudsman's Office, the Armed Forces, the Interior Ministry, and other government and defense bodies. The International Committee of the Red Cross also provided assistance during the process. At the Istanbul meeting on June 2, Ukrainian and Russian delegations agreed on a new prisoner exchange but failed to secure a ceasefire agreement. The previous talks on May 16 led to the largest prisoner swap of the war in late May, when approximately 1,000 captives were exchanged on each side. Since then, exchanges have continued, focusing especially on severely wounded and ill soldiers. Ukraine has long pushed for an "all-for-all"prisoner exchange to bring home all Ukrainian captives, but Moscow has resisted such a comprehensive deal. It is not immediately clear whether Ukraine released the bodies of Russian soldiers in return during this latest exchange. During the previous swap on June 11, Moscow announced it had repatriated the bodies of 27 Russian service members. Read also: Zelensky plans to meet Trump at G7 summit — key takeaways from closed-door briefing We've been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent.
Yahoo
14-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Ukraine repatriates bodies of another 1,200 citizens from Russia
As part of agreements reached in Istanbul, Ukraine received 1,200 bodies on 14 June 2025, reportedly those of Ukrainian citizens, including military personnel. Source: Ukraine's Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War Details: The Coordination Headquarters notes that the identification of these bodies as Ukrainian citizens is based solely on Russian claims. In the coming days, law enforcement investigators, in cooperation with expert institutions of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, will conduct examinations to identify the bodies. Support Ukrainska Pravda on Patreon!
