Russia And Ukraine Say A Major Prisoner Swap Has Begun

11 hours ago Russia and Ukraine say a major exchange of prisoners is taking place. It was one of the few signs of progress stemming from their direct talks last week in Istanbul — part of a U.S.-led effort that so far has failed to produce a ceasefire in the 3-year-old war. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the first phase of the exchange was bringing home 390 Ukrainians, with further releases expected over the weekend. Russia’s Defense Ministry said each side released 270 military personnel and 120 civilian detainees. Moscow and Kyiv agreed to the exchange of 1,000 prisoners from each side a week ago in Turkey in their first direct peace talks since the early weeks of Russia’s 2022 invasion.