Russia and Ukraine have conducted a major prisoner swap, exchanging 390 prisoners each under an agreement reached during recent talks in Istanbul, according to the Russian Defence Ministry.
The defence ministry on Friday said 270 Russian servicemen and 120 civilians have returned from territory controlled by Kyiv. In return, 270 Ukrainian prisoners and 120 civilians have also been released, it added.
The freed Russian prisoners are on the territory of the Republic of Belarus, where they are being provided with necessary psychological and medical assistance, reports Xinhua news agency, quoting the ministry.
"The large-scale exchange initiated by the Russian side is planned to continue in the coming days," according to the ministry. Ukraine and Russia reached a deal on the largest swap of their captives during a meeting in Turkey's Istanbul on May 16.
Following their direct negotiations in Istanbul last week, Russia and Ukraine agreed to exchange 1,000 prisoners each, marking the largest prisoner swap since the start of the conflict in 2022. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky also announced that 390 Ukrainians returned home from captivity during the first stage of a prisoner exchange with Russia under the "1,000 for 1,000 formula".
"On Saturday and Sunday, we expect the exchange to continue," Zelensky wrote on social media platform X. The Ukrainian President also emphasised that Ukraine will continue diplomatic efforts to return all its citizens who are still held in captivity.