Russia and Ukraine swap 45 POWs each

Ukraine has brought back 45 POWs as part of a prisoner swap, Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine Andriy Yermak reports.

According to Yermak, two officers, 41 privates and sergeants, as well as a civilian employee of the Azovstal steelworks and a member of territorial defence of Kherson were returned to Ukraine.

Furthermore, two children illegally deported to Russia were brought back to Ukraine — a 6-year-old boy, Renat, and a 10-year-old girl, Varvara. Their mother, a combat medic, was freed as part of a prisoner exchange in October 2022.

The Russian Defence Ministry has also confirmed the return of 45 Russian servicemen. “All the released servicemen are provided with the necessary medical and psychological assistance, and in the near future they will be taken to medical institutions of the Russian Ministry of Defence for treatment and rehabilitation,” the statement reads.