Moscow and Kiev have conducted another exchange of prisoners of war, the Russian Defense Ministry has reported
A group of Russian servicemen has been returned from territories controlled by Ukraine, Russia’s Defense Ministry reported on Thursday. The exchange took place in accordance with the agreements reached by Moscow and Kiev in Istanbul earlier this month, the ministry said.
In a statement on its official Telegram channel, the ministry shared a video of the Russian soldiers holding Russian flags and boarding a bus to begin their journey home.
The servicemen are currently in Belarus where they are said to be receiving all the necessary psychological and medical assistance. They will all later be transported to Russia for further treatment and rehabilitation, the ministry said.
The statement added that a number of Ukrainian prisoners of war were sent back to Ukraine in exchange. The ministry did not disclose the exact number of troops returned by each side. Kiev also refrained from disclosing any numbers. One source has told RT, however, that the exchange was equal.
Thursday’s swap is the latest in a string of exchanges conducted by Russia and Ukraine since their latest direct talks in Istanbul on June 2. The previous exchange took place last Friday and another one was conducted the previous day.
READ MORE: Russia hands bodies of over 1,200 soldiers to Ukraine
The humanitarian exchanges since the June 2 negotiations have also included repatriation of the remains of slain soldiers. Russia has returned the remains of over 6,000 Ukrainian soldiers and received 57 in return.
