According to President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky, 307 Ukrainian defenders returned to the country as the first phase of his prisoner exchange program with Russia, his second day entered. In a post on X, Zelensky said he expected the process to continue tomorrow, adding that the people who returned today include the armed forces and national guard of Ukraine. “Another 307 Ukrainian defenders are at home. Today is the second day of the 1,000-for-1,000 scholarship we managed to negotiate in Turkiies. In just these two days, 697 people were brought home,” he said. “We expect the process to continue tomorrow. Among those who returned today are warriors of our armed forces, the state border guard service, the national guard of Ukraine,” the Ukrainian president added. The prisoner exchange agreement between Russia and Ukraine was concluded in Istanbul on May 16 during a short-lived talk between officials for both countries. If completed, the move will see an exchange of 1,000 prisoners from both sides in the largest exchange between the two countries in their three -year war. Zelensky further said that the purpose of Ukraine is to bring every person back from the captivity of Russia. “I thank everyone involved in the exchange process, those who worked all day. Our goal is to bring every person back from the Russian captivity. We continue to work with our partners to make it possible,” he said. According to Al Jazeera, the Russia’s defense ministry said on Saturday that it had released 307 Ukrainian POWs in exchange for so many Russian servicemen cared for in white -russia before returning to Russia. Russia-Ukraine Prisoner Swap begins with the first part exchange, which started on Friday, an exchange of 390 Russians and Ukrainians, including 120 civilians. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Friday that Russia will be ready to give the Ukraine a draft document that gives an outline of conditions for a long-term peace agreement as soon as the current prisoner exchange is completed. The development comes to the Russian drone and rocket attack in Kyiv on Friday, which targets civilians and causes widespread damage and casualty. Zelensky shared a post on X on Saturday and said: “Fragments of Russian missiles and drones are being cleaned in Kyiv. Rescue and emergency operations are underway at the areas of strikes and debris – wherever they were needed. There were many fires and explosions in the city.”
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