Soldiers under 25 will return to Russia

The Russian Ministry of Defense announced that the long-awaited prisoner exchange, agreed upon during the Istanbul negotiations between Moscow and Kiev, has finally begun.

On June 9, Russian soldiers under 25 who have been held in Ukrainian prisons will be repatriated through Belarus. In exchange, young Ukrainian servicemen will also be released.

Just the day before, the prospects for the exchange appeared unlikely—Ukrainian authorities were delaying the implementation of the Istanbul agreements and, in particular, refusing to retrieve the bodies of their fallen soldiers. It is also reported that Russian servicemen are currently located in Belarus, where they are receiving the necessary assistance.