Russia and Ukraine swap nearly 200 prisoners in latest exchange

Ukraine and Russia have each released more than 90 men in a new prisoner exchange, officials said on Sunday.

The head of the Ukrainian presidential office, Andriy Yermak, said on Telegram that Kiev had got back 95 defenders who were captured by the Russians in battles for the cities of Bakhmut and Mariupol.

"Many of our people were injured in captivity," he said.

The Russian Defence Ministry in Moscow reported the release of 94 of its own fighters from Ukrainian captivity. The soldiers are to be treated in the ministry's medical facilities and undergo rehabilitation.

In Kiev, Yermak said that President Volodymyr Zelensky has made it one of the main tasks to free all Ukrainian soldiers held in Russian captivity.

Russia and Ukraine have exchanged prisoners several times in the course of the 15-month war. Most recently, there was a major exchange of prisoners at the end of May.

Since the full-scale Russian invasion on February 24, 2022, more than 2,500 Ukrainians have returned from Russian captivity, according to Kiev. In most cases, the warring factions hand over roughly the same number of fighters as the other side.