The largest prisoner of war exchange between Ukraine and Russia has begun
According to a report by the Financial Times on Friday, Russia and Ukraine have initiated the largest prisoner of war exchange since the Russian military invasion in 2022, following their first round of direct talks in three years.
During this agreement, which was reached last week in Istanbul, both parties agreed to exchange a total of 2,000 prisoners, with 1,000 from each side.
Ukrainian sources have stated that this exchange will take place in three phases over three days and will mainly include military personnel and, in some cases, civilians.
Despite Donald Trump, the President of the United States, claiming on the Truth Social platform on Friday morning that the exchange has now been completed, official sources in Kyiv announced that the exchange process has begun.
In his message, Trump wrote, ‘Congratulations to both sides on this negotiation. This could lead to something big.’
According to informed sources, Russia has refrained from handing over its prominent prisoners, and only more ordinary individuals are participating in the exchange.
