August M
Hundreds of prisoners of war have been returned home as Ukraine and Russia carry out a new exchange agreed during recent peace negotiations.
Officials from both sides say another large swap is scheduled to take place the following day, reports Digi24.ro.
Prisoners released
Russia and Ukraine confirmed on Thursday that 200 prisoners of war from each side had been exchanged.
According to Digi24.ro, the swap is part of agreements reached during recent negotiations held in Geneva.
Russian officials said the released Russian soldiers were taken to Belarus after the exchange.
They are currently receiving medical and psychological assistance before being transferred back to Russia.
More exchanges planned
Russia’s chief negotiator Vladimir Medinsky said additional exchanges would follow.
Writing on Telegram, he said another 300 prisoners from each side would be released on Friday.
If completed, the two exchanges together would return a total of 500 prisoners to each country.
The announcements mark one of the few concrete outcomes from recent diplomatic talks.
Zelensky confirms return
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed the exchange shortly after it took place.
“Today, 200 Ukrainian families received the most awaited message: their loved ones are returning home,” Zelensky wrote on social media.
He said the group included Ukrainian fighters captured during the battle for the Mariupol steel plant early in the war.
That complex fell to Russian forces in the first year of the conflict.
Limited progress
Previous prisoner exchanges have taken place during earlier rounds of negotiations.
In early February, both sides released 157 prisoners each following talks held in Abu Dhabi.
However, wider diplomatic progress remains limited.
According to Digi24.ro, the most recent round of talks in Geneva ended without major breakthroughs beyond prisoner exchanges and discussions about possible mechanisms to verify a future ceasefire.
Sticking points remain
Diplomatic sources said the meetings in Geneva were tense and that Russia maintained its demand that Ukraine cede the remaining parts of the Donbas region still under Ukrainian control.
This would include about 20 percent of Donetsk province and a small part of Luhansk province.
Zelensky has rejected the idea of handing over the territory.
He has said any such decision would have to be approved by a national referendum, which he believes Ukrainians would reject.
Sources: Digi24.ro, EFE
