KYIV: Russia and Ukraine said they exchanged an unspecified number of sick and wounded prisoners of war on Tuesday under an agreement reached at peace talks last week in Turkey.
The handover took place after an initial swap of prisoners under the age of 25 was conducted on Monday.
“Today marks the first stage of the return of our seriously wounded and injured soldiers from Russian captivity. All of them require immediate medical attention. This is an important humanitarian act,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Telegram, adding that exchanges would continue.
“We are doing everything to find and bring back everyone who is in captivity,” he said.
An official Ukrainian video showed smiling prisoners of war leaving a bus at an undisclosed location, wrapped in flags of Ukraine or of their units. Many chanted “Glory to Ukraine.”
In a statement, Ukrainian military intelligence said most of the freed soldiers had serious injuries and illnesses including amputations, infections and trauma. –Agencies
