Archive. Image of the exchange of prisoners made on Mayo 25.
Image: Valentyn Ogirenko/Reuters

The procedure, which according to the Ukrainian President «is quite complicated», implies the delivery of children under 25 and injured military personnel, according to what was agreed in Istanbul.

This Lunes (09.06.2025), Ukraine and Russia carried out the postponed exchange of military prisoners under 25 years of age agreed in the second phase of peace negotiations carried out a week ago in Istanbul. The president of Ukraine, Volodimir Zelenski, ratified the execution of the first stage of the process, which he called as «extremely complex.»

According to the Russian Ministry of Defense, the exchange was made according to what was agreed in the Turkish city. The Moscow regime agency did not detail the number of seized inmates or the date of the next exchanges, which will be carried out in the «all for all» format, but not less than a thousand, as previously communicated by the Russian negotiating leader, Vladimir Medinski.

«Currently, the Russian military are in the territory of Belarus, where they are provided with the required psychological and medical support,» added the Military Directorate of Russia. According to Defense, as indicated in all his previous reports about this matter, «all Russian military will be sent to Russia to receive medical assistance and rehabilitation in medical centers of the Ministry of Defense.»

«Sensitive details»

On the other hand, Zelenski indicated that «the negotiations remain practically daily» to specify the return to the home of more soldiers in prison, although he admitted that it is a fairly complex procedure, since, he said, «there are many delicate details.» The military captives that will be released include both those injured and those under 25, the mandate said.

This initial phase of the exchange occurs in the midst of a controversy over the return of 6,000 corpses of Ukrainian military who died in combat by Russia. This Sábado, the main Russian negotiator accused Ukraine of «postponing indefinitely» the delivery of lifeless bodies, which caused kyiv to urge «not to create artificial barriers and false statements» to hinder the extent process.

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