Ukraine and Russia exchanged a whole bunch of prisoners of conflict in an change performed simply days after the crash of a Russian transport airplane carrying dozens of captured Ukrainian troops.
The Wednesday change noticed Russia turn over 207 Ukrainian troops, whereas Ukraine launched 195 Russians, based on Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. The change is the primary to happen since final week’s crash. Moscow accused Ukraine of capturing down final week’s transport, which it says was headed to make one other prisoner swap.
“Our people are back. 207 of them. We return them home no matter what. We remember each Ukrainian in captivity. Both warriors and civilians. We must bring all of them back. We are working on it. The Ukrainian team has done another excellent job. Budanov, Yermak, Usov, Maliuk, and Klymenko. Well done!” Zelenskyy wrote on X.
Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday claimed {that a} Ukrainian missile shot down the navy transport airplane carrying 65 Ukrainian prisoners of conflict and 9 Russians final week.
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“Knowing (the POWs were aboard), they attacked this plane. I don’t know whether they did it on purpose or by mistake, through thoughtlessness,” Putin claimed.
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Ukraine has neither confirmed nor denied that its forces shot down a Russian navy transport airplane that day. Russia’s declare that the crash killed Ukranian POWs couldn’t be verified, based on the AP.
Ukrainian officers did affirm earlier this week {that a} prisoner exchange had been scheduled to occur Wednesday however mentioned on the time that it had been referred to as off. The officers added that Moscow had not requested for any airspace to be saved secure for a sure size of time, because it had for earlier prisoner swaps.
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Russia and Ukraine have agreed to quite a few prisoner swaps over the previous two years of battle, however it was not clear till at this time’s change that that sample would proceed following final week’s catastrophe.
Fox Information’ Chris Pandolfo contributed to this report.