Published: July 4, 2025 10:31 am
Author: RT
The exchange was part of the deal reached by Moscow and Kiev in Istanbul in June
Russia has returned more of its service members from Ukrainian captivity, while releasing a group of Kiev’s soldiers, the Defense Ministry in Moscow has said.
In a statement on Friday, the ministry said that the exchange was carried out according to the Russian-Ukrainian deal agreement reached on June 2 in Istanbul. Officials, however, did not provide details on how many Russian or Ukrainian soldiers were released.
The ministry added that the Russian military personnel are now in Belarus, where they are receiving all the necessary psychological and medical assistance, and will later be taken to Russia for further medical treatment and rehabilitation.
According to an RT source, Ukraine also returned two residents of Russia’s Kursk Region, located near the Ukrainian border, which Kiev invaded last summer, before being pushed back in late April.
Footage shared by the ministry shows around two dozen Russian service members carrying national flags as they board a bus.
Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky confirmed the exchange, saying that most of the prisoners had been in Russian captivity since 2022 and included personnel from the military, national guard, border and transport services, as well as an undisclosed number of civilians.
“The exchanges must continue, and I thank everyone who ensures this. Ukraine’s goal is to free all our people from Russian captivity,” he added.
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