Russia Offers Prisoner Exchange to Ukraine
The Russian government has proposed a large prisoner exchange with Ukraine. This would be the biggest swap since the war between Russia and Ukraine started.
According to reports, Russia is willing to release 630 of its military personnel in exchange for 630 Ukrainian prisoners. The proposal was made by Maria Zakharova, spokesperson for the Russian Foreign Ministry.
Zakharova said that it’s up to Ukraine to decide which Russian soldiers will be included in the exchange. This means that Ukraine gets to choose who will go free and who will stay in captivity.
Russia claims that 1,348 of its citizens are being held by Ukraine as prisoners. On the other hand, Russia says it holds 6,465 Ukrainians captive.
Recently, Ukrainian forces captured several Russian soldiers during a battle in the Kursk Oblast region of Russia. These soldiers were reportedly from an elite brigade. However, the Russian Defense Ministry has not commented on these claims.
Ukraine has not yet responded to Russia’s proposal for a prisoner exchange. But some pro-Russian Telegram channels are claiming that an agreement has already been reached between the two countries.