The Moscow and Kyiv governments confirmed that prisoner exchanges were taking place between Russia and Ukraine.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said the exchange will be conducted “in several stages” in the next few days, adding that the injured, injured and soldiers under the age of 25 are returning.
“The process is very complex, with many sensitive details, negotiated almost every day,” Zelensky wrote in the telegram.
Russia said “similar numbers” of prisoners of war have returned to Ukraine, although both sides provided an exact number for how many people were exchanged.
Russian Defense Ministry said: “After the agreement reached, the first group of Russian soldiers under the age of 25 returned from territory controlled by the Kiev regime. Arrived between the warring countries in Türkiye last week.
Moscow said that, like in the past exchanges, Russian soldiers who exchanged were receiving psychological and medical assistance in Belarus.
On the Ukrainian side, prisoners of war and relatives of missing persons gathered in the Chenishv area near the border with Belarus to greet released prisoners and, in many cases, seek news from others who are still imprisoned.
Last week, Moscow and Kiev alleged plans to repatriate dead soldiers.
In late May, Russia and Ukraine distributed more than 390 soldiers and civilians in the largest prisoner exchange since Russia launched its full-scale invasion in 2022.
Meanwhile, the war continued overnight, with Moscow setting a record 479 drones in Ukraine, including in the western part of the Rifandh, which was largely hit by the attack.
The Russian Defense Ministry said it targeted Rifani’s Dubno base and described it as “one of the retaliatory strikes.” Ukrainian bold drone attacks Russian airport on June 1.
The overnight Russian launch caused damage in several Ukrainian areas, but no casualties were reported.
Russia’s recent attack on Ukraine has escalated, and it opens fire in the country every week.
Kiev said it attacked another Russian air base in the Niznovgorod region, 400 miles from the Ukrainian border.
Ukraine said the base house aircraft fired hypersonic missiles and damaged “two enemy planes.”
It also targets electronic factories, production equipment to guide drones and air bombs, as Kyiv said.
The video shows one of the explosions caused by the attack on the drone and the fires at the factory. Production has been suspended.
