Russia and Ukraine swap prisoners of war, soldiers under 25 return home
&imwidth=600&imheight=450&format=webp&quality=medium "Russia and Ukraine swap prisoners of war, soldiers under 25 return home")
Ukrainian prisoners of war at an unknown location in the country after the swap on June 9, 2025. Photograph: (Reuters)
The Russian military said its returned servicemen were in Belarus, a close Russian ally, where they were getting psychological and medical assistance before being transferred to Russia for further care.
Russia and Ukraine swapped prisoners of war under the age of 25, confirmed Russia’s Defence Ministry on Monday, stating the exchange was the result of direct talks held between representatives of Moscow and Kyiv earlier this month in Turkey.
“On June 9, in accordance with the agreements reached between Russia and Ukraine on June 2, the first group of Russian servicemen under the age of 25 was brought home from the area controlled by the Kiev regime. In exchange, a similar number of Ukrainian POWs was transferred,” the ministry said.
The talks held on June 2 in Istanbul led to an agreement between Moscow and Kyiv for exchange of at least 1,200 POWs on each side, focusing on the youngest and most severely wounded, and to repatriate thousands of bodies of those killed in the war, which is now in its fourth year.
The exchange, the biggest so far, was expected to happen in phases.
The Russian Defence Ministry did not say in its statement how many POWs were exchanged on Monday, but confirmed that both sides had swapped the same number of military personnel.
The Russian military said its returned servicemen were in Belarus, a close Russian ally, where they were getting psychological and medical assistance before being transferred to Russia for further care.
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The Kremlin had said earlier on Monday that Russia was ready to honour the agreements on the prisoner of war exchange and repatriation of dead soldiers with Ukraine, despite what it said was Kyiv’s failure to fully honour its side of the bargain.
“The young Russian servicemen are currently in Belarus, where they are being given the necessary psychological and medical assistance. They all will be taken to the Russian Federation for treatment and rehabilitation at medical organizations,” the ministry added.
