Russia and Ukraine have carried out a new prisoner exchange, officials from both countries confirmed on Thursday, following talks earlier this month in Türkiye.
Neither side disclosed the number of troops released in the swap, which comes despite continued fighting and a lack of progress on ending the war.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on X that the returning soldiers included members of the Armed Forces, National Guard, and Border Guard.
“Most of them have been in captivity since 2022. We’re doing everything possible to find and verify each person. We must bring all our people home,” he wrote, thanking those involved in securing the exchange.
Russia’s Ministry of Defence also confirmed the return of its servicemen. In a statement on Telegram, it said the released soldiers had arrived in Belarus and were receiving medical and psychological support before being transferred to Russia for rehabilitation.
The exchange follows a rare in-person meeting between Russian and Ukrainian officials in Türkiye on 2 June, during which both sides agreed to exchange at least 1,000 prisoners — one of the few areas of cooperation since war began in 2022.
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Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan met the outgoing U.S. ambassador Kristina Kvien at his office in capital Yerevan on Wednesday, according to a statement released by his office.
Iran’s Commander-in-Chief of Army, Major General Amir Hatami has warned against hostile rhetoric from U.S. and Israeli officials. “Iran considers the intensification of the enemies' rhetoric against the Iranian nation as a threat and will not leave its continuation unanswered,” Hatami said.
China has begun exporting a rapid blackout recovery technology designed to restore electricity in just 0.1 seconds, offering power grid protection to 12 countries facing rising risks of outages and instability.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has dismissed reports that Nicolas Maduro, Venezuela’s toppled leader, was previously offered asylum in Türkiye.
Open-source intelligence (OSINT) sources reported a significant movement of U.S. military aircraft towards the Middle East in recent hours. Dozens of U.S. Air Force aerial refuelling tankers and heavy transport aircraft were observed heading eastwards, presumably to staging points in the region.
Snow and ice stalled travellers in northwest Europe on Wednesday, forcing around a thousand to spend the night in Amsterdam's Schiphol airport but delighting others who set out to explore a snow-blanketed Paris on sledges and skis.
Diplomatic tensions between Tokyo and Beijing escalated as Japan slams China's export ban on dual-use goods. Markets have wobbled as fears grow over a potential rare earth embargo affecting global supply chains.
Two people have been killed after a private helicopter crashed at a recreation centre in Russia’s Perm region, Russian authorities and local media have said.
Iran’s chief justice has warned protesters there will be “no leniency for those who help the enemy against the Islamic Republic”, as rights groups reported a rising death toll during what observers describe as the country’s biggest wave of unrest in three years.
Iran’s Commander-in-Chief of Army, Major General Amir Hatami has warned against hostile rhetoric from U.S. and Israeli officials. “Iran considers the intensification of the enemies' rhetoric against the Iranian nation as a threat and will not leave its continuation unanswered,” Hatami said.
Türkiye says it's prepared a self-sustaining international stabilisation force for Gaza and has already begun training, Defence Minister Yaşar Güler said, reiterating Ankara’s readiness to deploy troops to support humanitarian efforts and help end the fighting.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has dismissed reports that Nicolas Maduro, Venezuela’s toppled leader, was previously offered asylum in Türkiye.
Former NATO Deputy Secretary-General Rose Gottemoeller has warned that Europe could face a future without U.S. nuclear deterrence.
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