Ukraine and Russia alternate 780 troopers and civilians in greatest swap

Russia and Ukraine have every handed over 390 troopers and civilians within the greatest prisoner alternate because the begin of the full-scale Russian invasion in 2022.

They each returned 270 servicemen and 120 civilians on the Ukrainian border with Belarus, as a part of the one deal agreed in direct talks in Istanbul every week in the past.

Both sides had agreed to an alternate of 1,000 prisoners and confirmed there can be additional swaps within the coming days.

Although there have been dozens of smaller-scale exchanges, no different handover has concerned as many civilians.

The Russian defence ministry mentioned servicemen and civilians, together with these captured by Ukrainian forces in Russia’s Kursk border area throughout Kyiv’s offensive in latest months, had been amongst these handed over.

They had been presently on Belarusian territory and had been to be taken to Russia for medical checks and therapy, the ministry mentioned.

“We are bringing our individuals residence,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky introduced on social media.

“We are verifying each surname, each element about every individual.”

Ukraine’s co-ordination headquarters for prisoners of struggle mentioned the 270 Ukrainian servicemen had fought in areas throughout the east and north, from Kyiv, Chernihiv and Sumy to Donetsk, Kharkiv and Kherson. Three of the 390 launched on Friday had been girls, it added.

US President Donald Trump earlier posted his congratulations on his Truth Social platform, claiming that the swap was full and that “this might result in one thing large???”.

Families of Ukrainian troopers held by Russia gathered in northern Ukraine on Friday within the hope that their sons and husbands can be amongst these launched.

Natalia, whose son Yelizar was captured throughout the battle for town of Severodonetsk three years in the past, instructed the BBC she believed he would return, however didn’t know when.

Olha mentioned that since her son Valerii had been captured with 5 different troopers within the east, her life had stopped, as she didn’t know in the event that they had been nonetheless alive.

“They had been captured two months in the past in Luhansk. They went lacking in a village.”

The prisoner swap was agreed in Turkey every week in the past, when low-level delegations from Ukraine and Russia got here nose to nose for the primary time since March 2022, though the assembly lasted solely two hours and did not make any progress in direction of a ceasefire.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov mentioned on Friday that there can be a second spherical of talks, when Moscow would hand a “memorandum” to the Ukrainian facet.

Trump mentioned earlier this week that Russia and Ukraine would “instantly” begin negotiating in direction of a ceasefire and an finish to the struggle, after a two-hour telephone name with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Since then, Zelensky has accused Putin of “trying to buy time” to proceed the struggle.

Italy’s Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has backed a suggestion from Trump that the Vatican may mediate talks on negotiating a ceasefire, however Lavrov mentioned that was “not a really lifelike possibility”.

The Russian overseas minister repeated an unfounded declare that Zelensky was not a professional chief and recommended new elections needs to be held earlier than a possible future peace settlement is signed.

Asked if Russia was able to signal a deal, Lavrov mentioned: “First we have to have a deal. And when it is agreed, then we are going to resolve. But, as President Putin has mentioned many instances, President Zelensky doesn’t have legitimacy.”

He mentioned after an settlement was prepared, Russia would “see who out of these in energy in Ukraine has legitimacy”.

“The key activity now could be to arrange a peace settlement which might be dependable and supply a long-term, secure and truthful peace with out creating safety threats for anybody. In our case, we’re involved with Russia.”