Russia, Ukraine wraps up largest prisoner swap

MOSCOW/KYIV - Russia and Ukraine each exchanged 303 prisoners on Sunday, completing the largest prisoner exchange under an agreement reached during their recent talks in Istanbul, Turkiye.

The Russian Defense Ministry said that 303 Russian servicemen have "returned from Kyiv-controlled territory," while an equivalent number of Ukrainian prisoners have also been freed.

Among those released were personnel from the Ukrainian Armed Forces, the National Guard, the State Border Guard Service, and the State Special Transport Service, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on X.

The freed Russian prisoners are on the territory of the Republic of Belarus, where they are being provided with necessary psychological and medical assistance, said the Russian Defense Ministry.

Following their direct negotiations in Istanbul on May 16, Russia and Ukraine agreed to exchange 1,000 prisoners each, marking the largest prisoner swap since the start of the conflict in 2022.

On Friday, both sides exchanged 270 soldiers and 120 civilians, followed by a 307-for-307 swap of military personnel on Saturday.

The three-day exchange of prisoners was the 65th swap of captives between the two sides since the start of the conflict and the sixth of its kind this year, according to Ukraine's Coordinating Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War.