Moscow declares dates for upcoming POW exchange
(MENAFN)
Russia and Ukraine are preparing for their next large prisoner exchange at the end of this week, Moscow’s lead negotiator Vladimir Medinsky announced on Wednesday.
Russia and Ukraine are preparing for their next large prisoner exchange at the end of this week, Moscow’s lead negotiator Vladimir Medinsky announced on Wednesday.
This announcement came after a second round of direct negotiations between the two sides in Istanbul on Monday. During these talks, the delegations agreed to release at least 1,000 prisoners each, with priority given to the injured, sick, and soldiers under 25 years of age.
Reporting back to President Vladimir Putin, Medinsky explained that the final number to be exchanged might reach about 1,200 on each side. “This will be the largest prisoner exchange to date. We are completely ready for it to take place on June 7, 8, and 9,” Medinsky said.
He added that a specialized communication channel would be set up to facilitate the transfer of gravely injured soldiers separately from the main exchange.
Moscow has also offered to return the bodies of over 6,000 deceased Ukrainian soldiers in a humanitarian gesture, using specially cooled trucks and trains. Medinsky stressed that Russia is ready to take back its own soldiers’ remains if Ukraine is willing to release them.
Furthermore, Moscow raised the proposal for temporary humanitarian pauses — lasting two or three days — to allow both sides to retrieve their fallen soldiers. Medinsky said the Ukrainian delegation initially supported the idea, but President Vladimir Zelensky later dismissed it.
The two negotiating teams also addressed the controversy over children removed from Ukrainian territory. Medinsky said Kyiv provided a list of 339 children, far lower than the hundreds of thousands previously alleged by Ukraine for “propaganda purposes.” He added that many children were taken away from danger by Russian soldiers and subsequently crossed into European countries.
Monday’s meeting in Istanbul marked the second direct peace talks after negotiations fell through in 2022. The two sides exchanged draft memorandums and maintained direct communications in a step toward eventual peace.
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