Russia, Ukraine conduct another prisoner swap following Istanbul accord

On June 19, 2025, the Russian Ministry of Defence confirmed that another prisoner exchange had taken place between Russia and Ukraine, following agreements reached in Istanbul earlier this month.

A group of Russian servicemen was returned from Ukraine, while in exchange, Ukrainian prisoners of war were handed over to Kyiv, Caliber.Az reports, citing the Russian Defence Ministry.

The Ministry of Defence stated that the exchange was carried out in line with the terms agreed upon on June 2.

The returned Russian personnel are now in Belarus, where they are receiving the necessary psychological and medical care to support their recovery.

In June, Ukraine and Russia made significant progress in humanitarian exchanges, notably through the Istanbul agreements. On June 9, they initiated a phased prisoner swap, focusing on young servicemen under 25, with both sides returning captured personnel.

By June 14, they conducted another large-scale, parity-based prisoner exchange, marking the fourth such operation within a week.

Additionally, Ukraine received 1,200 bodies of deceased citizens, including fallen defenders, as part of the repatriation efforts coordinated under the Istanbul agreements.

This brings the total number of bodies returned to over 3,600 out of the 6,000 agreed upon

By Aghakazim Guliyev