Ukraine and Russia take part in biggest prisoner swap since 2022 invasion

Russia and Ukraine have each handed over 390 soldiers and civilians in the biggest prisoner exchange since the start of the full-scale Russian invasion in 2022.

They both returned 270 servicemen and 120 civilians on the Ukrainian border with Belarus, as part of the only deal agreed in direct talks in Istanbul a week ago.

Both sides had agreed to an exchange of 1,000 prisoners and confirmed there would be further swaps in the coming days.

Although there have been dozens of smaller-scale exchanges, no other handover has involved as many civilians.

The Russian defence ministry said servicemen and civilians, including those captured by Ukrainian forces in Russia's Kursk border region during Kyiv's offensive in recent months, were among those handed over.

They were currently on Belarusian territory and were to be taken to Russia for medical checks and treatment, the ministry said.

"We are bringing our people home," Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced on social media.

"We are ing every surname, every detail about each person."

Ukraine's co-ordination headquarters for prisoners of war said the 270 Ukrainian servicemen had fought in regions across the east and north, from Kyiv, Chernihiv and Sumy to Donetsk, Kharkiv and Kherson.

Three of the 390 released on Friday were women, officials said, and some of the soldiers had been held since 2022.

US President Donald Trump earlier posted his congratulations on his Truth Social platform, claiming that the swap was complete and that "this could lead to something big??":[]}