Russia, Ukraine to start urgent swap of severely wounded prisoners on June 12

On June 12, Russia and Ukraine are set to begin emergency medical exchanges of severely wounded prisoners of war, according to a senior Russian official.

Vladimir Medinsky, aide to Russian President Vladimir Putin and head of the Russian delegation in talks with Ukraine, announced on his official Telegram channel, Caliber.Az reports.

"Tomorrow, we will also begin urgent medical exchanges of severely wounded prisoners from the front line," Medinsky stated.

To recall, Ukraine has repatriated the remains of 1,212 fallen defenders, including those who died in battles in the east and south of the country and Russia’s Kursk region, authorities confirmed on June 11.

The Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War said the operation covered remains recovered from Kursk, Kharkiv, Luhansk, Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson regions.

The effort involved multiple Ukrainian security and defence agencies, with support from the International Committee of the Red Cross.

The remains will now be identified by law enforcement and forensic experts.

This development follows a June 2 agreement between Ukraine and Russia in Istanbul, which included a large-scale prisoner exchange and the transfer of severely wounded and young military personnel.

By Aghakazim Guliyev