Ukraine has introduced residence a gaggle of troopers launched from Russian captivity, President Volodymyr Zelensky mentioned on June 26, marking yet one more in a current collection of exchanges with Moscow.

"In the present day, troopers of the Armed Forces, the Nationwide Guard, and the State Border Guard Service are returning residence," Zelensky mentioned with out revealing their numbers.

The alternate follows six related swaps carried out in current weeks in accordance with agreements reached between Kyiv and Moscow on the second spherical of peace talks in Istanbul on June 2.

As within the different current swaps, the newest one targeted on severely ailing and wounded POWs and likewise included a gaggle of younger troopers underneath the age of 25, the Coordination Headquarters for the Remedy of Prisoners of Warfare (POWs) mentioned.

Most of these launched had been in Russian captivity since 2022, with the youngest being a 24-year-old soldier taken prisoner through the battle for Mariupol. The oldest of the freed captives was 62.

The launched troopers fought elsewhere in Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson, Kharkiv, Sumy, and Kyiv oblasts. Amongst these freed are a number of officers, in keeping with the headquarters.

"We’re doing every thing attainable to seek out every individual and confirm details about each title," Zelensky mentioned. "We should convey all our individuals residence."

Russia's Protection Ministry additionally introduced a prisoner alternate with the Ukrainian aspect, with out specifying the variety of troopers concerned.

Whereas no political breakthrough was achieved, each side agreed to a phased alternate ofprisoners and the repatriation of fallen troopers' our bodies. As a part of that settlement, Russia pledged to return the our bodies of as much as 6,000 Ukrainian service members and residents.

Moscow has handed over 6,057 our bodies to Ukraine in a number of phases over the previous few days. President Volodymyr Zelensky later mentioned Ukrainian authorities have confirmed that at the least 20 of the our bodies Russia returned as Ukrainian had been truly Russian troopers.

In line with Zelensky, Moscow is utilizing this tactic as a instrument for manipulation to obscure the size of its navy losses from the general public.

The June 2 agreements got here after the largest-ever POW swap in late Could, when 1,000 prisoners had been exchanged on both sides.

Ukraine repeatedly referred to as for a prisoner alternate in an all-for-all format, however Russia continues to reject the provide.

Explained: How Ukraine negotiates prisoner of war swaps with RussiaEven after Ukraine cut diplomatic ties with Russia in 2022, prisoner exchanges have continued as one of the few remaining channels of communication between the two countries. Negotiated behind closed doors and carried out irregularly, POW swaps — and the decisions surrounding them — have long been shrouded in secrecy. Controversies haveThe Kyiv IndependentDaria Shulzhenko