Russia, Ukraine hold new prisoner exchange under Istanbul agreements

Russia announced Wednesday that under agreements reached in Istanbul, Russia and Ukraine had held another round of prisoner of war exchanges.

"A group of Russian servicemen" was returned from Ukraine, said the country’s Defense Ministry, without specifying the number.

"On July 23, in accordance with Russian-Ukrainian agreements reached on June 2 in Istanbul, a group of Russian servicemen was returned from territory controlled by the Kyiv regime. In exchange, a group of Ukrainian Armed Forces prisoners was transferred," the ministry said.

The ministry said that the returned Russian military personnel are currently in the territory of neighboring Belarus, where they are getting necessary psychological and medical assistance.

"All Russian servicemen will be transported to Russia for treatment and rehabilitation at medical facilities of the Russian Defense Ministry," it said.

In exchange, a group of Ukrainian prisoners of war was returned to Kyiv, it said.

Separately, speaking at a news conference in Istanbul following the third round of the countries’ peace talks in Istanbul, Vladimir Medinsky, head of the Russian delegation, said some 250 people from each side were exchanged.

"Currently, on the Ukrainian-Belarusian border, the final batches of prisoners of war, amounting to approximately 250 persons per side, are being exchanged. Thus, the second unprecedented large-scale exchange of roughly 1,200 individuals has been completed," he said.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy confirmed the exchange, noting more than 1,000 Ukrainian soldiers had been returned home as a result of the humanitarian moves.

According to him, some of the soldiers were in Russian captivity for three years. He also said the soldiers will get medical care as well as psychological rehabilitation.