By Agence France-Presse
A large-scale prisoner exchange between Russia and Ukraine—the only concrete outcome of peace talks—was thrown into doubt on Saturday, June 7, after Moscow and Kyiv accused each other of delaying and thwarting the swap.
The hold-up to an exchange that both sides said would take place this weekend came as Moscow’s army launched a barrage of missiles, drones, and bombs across Ukraine overnight and throughout Saturday, killing at least 10 people and wounding dozens.
At talks in Istanbul on Monday, June 9, Kyiv and Moscow agreed to release all wounded soldiers and those aged under 25 who had been captured—more than 1,000 people on each side.
Russia said it would also hand back the remains of 6,000 killed Ukrainian soldiers.
On Saturday, Moscow accused Ukraine of not turning up to collect the bodies and not agreeing on a date to swap the captured soldiers, while Kyiv said Russia was playing “dirty games” by not sticking to the agreed parameters for the exchange.
“The Ukrainian side has unexpectedly postponed for an indefinite period both the acceptance of the bodies and the exchange of prisoners of war,” Russia’s top negotiator Vladimir Medinsky said on social media.
A defense ministry spokesperson said, “the Ukrainian side is still refraining from setting a date” for the first stage of the prisoner swap.
‘Dirty games’
The exchange was set to be the largest of the war, topping last month’s 1,000-for-1,000 swap that was agreed upon at a first round of talks in Istanbul.
After the Istanbul talks, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said it would take place this weekend, while Russia said it was ready for Saturday, Sunday or Monday.
Responding to Russia’s accusations, Ukraine’s Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War said no date had been agreed for the return of bodies. It also said a list of names Russia said would be released did not match the terms of the agreement.
“Unfortunately, instead of constructive dialogue, we are again faced with manipulations,” it said in a statement on social media.
“We call on the Russian side to stop playing dirty games and return to constructive work to bring people back to both sides and to clearly implement the agreement in the coming days,” it added.
The spat came as Russia launched a massive aerial attack across Ukraine, heavily targeting the city of Kharkiv overnight and throughout Saturday, June 7.
Zelenskyy urged Kyiv’s Western backers to heap more “pressure” on Russia, with at least 10 people killed in the barrage.
‘Powerful attack’
Kharkiv came under “the most powerful attack since the beginning of the full-scale war”, Mayor Igor Terekhov said.
Four people were killed and more than 50 wounded as homes and apartment blocks were pummeled overnight and guided bombs were dropped on the city on Saturday afternoon, June 7.
Three people were also killed in the frontline Donetsk region, which has seen the most intense fighting of the war, and three more in the Kherson region, also partially occupied by Moscow’s forces.
Since Russia invaded in February 2022, tens of thousands have been killed, with millions forced to flee their homes as cities and villages across eastern Ukraine have been destroyed.
The Ukrainian air force said Russia had fired 206 drones and nine missiles in the overnight barrage. Russia’s defense ministry said it had launched a “group strike” against “military-industrial” facilities in Ukraine.
Despite talks, the two sides have made no progress towards halting the fighting.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has issued a host of sweeping demands on Ukraine as preconditions to a truce.
They include completely pulling troops out of four regions claimed by Russia but which its army does not fully control, an end to Western military support, and a ban on Ukraine joining NATO.
Zelenskyy has rejected them as “old ultimatums” and repeated his call for sanctions on Moscow.
“The Russians are preparing to continue the war, ignoring all peace proposals. They must be held accountable for this,” he said in his evening address.
“Pressure forced Russia to enter the negotiation process. Pressure can force Russia to become realistic in the negotiation process,” he added.
