Latest news with #POW
Washington Post
10 hours ago
- Politics
- Washington Post
Ukraine received at least 20 bodies of Russian soldiers in recent exchanges, Zelenskyy says
KYIV, Ukraine — Ukraine's president said that Russia repatriated at least 20 of its own dead soldiers in recent exchanges with Ukraine, describing it as a result of Moscow's disorganization in carrying out large swaps of wounded POWs and remains of troops. Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that an Israeli citizen was among the dead Ukraine had received in recent exchanges. He spoke to journalists on Friday but his comments were embargoed until Saturday. Officials did not disclose the identities of the bodies.
Reuters
a day ago
- Politics
- Reuters
Russia and Ukraine swap more POWs in second exchange in two days
MOSCOW/KYIV, June 20 (Reuters) - Russia and Ukraine completed another round of prisoner exchanges on Friday, officials in both countries said, part of a recent agreement to swap POWs and the bodies of dead soldiers. Neither Russian nor Ukrainian officials specified how many people were involved in the exchange, the second in two days. Writing on X, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said most of his country's POWs had been held by Russia for more than two years, and had been captured across various parts of the sprawling front line. Russia's defence ministry said the Russian POWs included in the exchange were currently in Belarus, which shares borders with both warring countries. The two countries have carried out a series of swaps of captured troops and the remains of dead soldiers since renewing peace talks in Istanbul last month after a gap of more than three years.
Miami Herald
5 days ago
- Politics
- Miami Herald
Ukraine alleges Russia is mixing its dead into collection of returned bodies
June 16 (UPI) --Ukraine alleged Monday that Russia mixed bodies of its own dead soldiers among the Ukrainian military dead that have been returned, and that more than a million Russians have been killed since conflict began. Ukraine's Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War announced on Telegram that Russia repatriated 1,245 bodies Monday, as per an agreement made between Ukraine and Russia in Istanbul. The agency asserts that Ukraine has received a total of 6,057 bodies so far. Russian presidential aide Vladimir Medinsky posted to Telegram Monday that Russia has so far transferred the bodies of 6,060 Ukrainian military members back to Ukraine and received 78 in return. Russia's Ministry of Defense made a separate follow-up announcement that Russia is also ready to transfer the bodies of another 2,239 Ukrainian service members. However, Ukrainian Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko posted to Telegram Monday that among the bodies Ukraine has received, 'the bodies of the Russian military were also handed over to us, mixed with the bodies of Ukrainians.' Klymenko alleged that Russia may have unknowingly included some of their dead along with the Ukrainian bodies returned, or 'This could have been done by the Russians deliberately to increase the number of transferred bodies and load the work of our experts, supplementing all this with cynical information pressure.' Ukraine's Foreign Intelligence Service had announced Sunday that it anticipated Russia would soon start to share false information in regard to a POW exchange slated for Friday and would purport that Ukraine has refused to accept the return of dead soldiers in order to 'provoke a wave of panic and indignation in Ukrainian society and shift responsibility for the crimes committed to the Ukrainian authorities.' The Ukrainian Ministry of Defense also stated that as of Monday Russian losses in its war on Ukraine have surpassed one million dead since it began in February of 2022, as well as more than 40,000 drones, 22,000 armored fighting vehicles and nearly 11,000 tanks. Copyright 2025 UPI News Corporation. All Rights Reserved.
Russia Today
6 days ago
- Politics
- Russia Today
Russia and Ukraine hold another POW exchange
Russia and Ukraine have conducted a new prisoner swap, both nations have confirmed. The exchange on Saturday is the latest in a series that have been held since the start of the week. During the latest round of direct talks in Istanbul on June 2, Moscow and Kiev agreed to carry out a series of exchanges, focusing primarily on seriously injured, ill, and younger captives. Russia also unilaterally decided to repatriate the bodies of more than 6,000 fallen Ukrainian troops on humanitarian grounds. In a statement on Saturday, the Defense Ministry in Moscow said that earlier in the day, 'another group of Russian service members was returned from the territories controlled by the Kiev regime.' Russian military officials added that Ukraine similarly received an undisclosed number of its soldiers who had been held in Russian captivity. The ministry accompanied its message with a short video showing the released Russian troops, saying they were currently receiving psychological and medical assistance in Belarus, before being transferred to Russian military hospitals for treatment and rehabilitation. In a post on Telegram on Saturday, Ukraine's Vladimir Zelensky confirmed the 'fourth [POW] exchange in a week.' Earlier in the day, Ukraine's Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War reported that Moscow handed over another 1,200 bodies of fallen Ukrainian troops to Kiev, as quoted by local media. Similar POW exchanges took place on Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday, with neither Moscow nor Kiev disclosing the number of captives they handed over and received. Russia's top negotiator in Istanbul, Vladimir Medinsky, previously said around 1,200 prisoners each were expected to be handed over by Moscow and Kiev respectively. On Wednesday and Friday, Russia handed over the remains of 1,200 fallen Ukrainian soldiers on each occasion.
Al Jazeera
6 days ago
- 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.
