Defense Ministry announces another prisoner swap with Ukraine
Russian and Ukrainian Troops Engage in Prisoner Swap
In the heart of Belarus, a clandestine exchange is underway. Russian servicemen are receiving vital medical and psychological support before being transferred back to Russia for further treatment and rehabilitation in military hospitals.
This exchange is a byproduct of the agreements reached on June 2 during the intense Russian-Ukrainian talks held in Istanbul. The exchange is far from over, with three stages already completed on June 9, 10, and 12. The exact number of servicemen involved in this exchange remains undisclosed by both Russia and Ukraine.
On June 11, a significant development unfolded. Russia relinquished 1,212 bodies of deceased Ukrainian soldiers to Ukraine, in exchange for 27 bodies of fallen Russian soldiers, as reported by the Russian delegation head, Vladimir Medinsky. He also announced that Moscow and Kyiv would immediately initiate "sanitary" exchanges of severely wounded combatants from the frontlines, starting from June 12.
On June 13, Ukraine confirmed receiving another 1,200 bodies of deceased Ukrainian soldiers from the Russian side. A day later, on June 14, Ukraine received another 1,200 bodies, as per reports. It's been alleged that, on June 13 and 14, Kyiv did not hand over any bodies of fallen Russian soldiers to Russia.
Stay tuned for more updates on this evolving story.
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[Enrichment Data: The June 12, 2025 exchange focused on severely wounded and seriously ill servicemen as part of a phased process under the Istanbul agreement, with multiple sources confirming the swap, but both sides maintaining secrecy about the exact number of participants[2][3][4]. Although the commitment to release more than 1,000 prisoners each in total was made during the Istanbul talks, this total refers to the combined sum across multiple exchanges—not just the June 12 event[3]. In addition, Ukrainian authorities have stated they will reveal the total number of returned personnel only after the entire process is completed[2].]
In the context of the ongoing prisoner swap agreed upon in Istanbul, discussions surrounding general-news and politics have intensified regarding the exchange of severely wounded servicemen. The recent exchange on June 12 focused on the phased process under the Istanbul agreement, yet both Russia and Ukraine have concealed the exact number of participants in the swap.
