Russia and Ukraine have completed the first stage of a prisoner exchange under a new agreement reached during peace talks in Istanbul last week.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy confirmed the exchange on Monday, saying it included wounded soldiers and individuals aged 25 and younger.
The total number of prisoners released was not disclosed, but Zelenskyy noted that further exchanges are expected. “More stages will follow — at least, that’s what was discussed with the Russian side. I thank everyone [for] making it happen,” Zelenskyy said on X.
Our people are home.
Ukrainians are returning home from Russian captivity. Today, an exchange began, which will continue in several stages over the coming days.
Among those we are bringing back now are the wounded, the severely wounded, and those under the age of 25. The process… pic.twitter.com/tEmJctz5ON— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) June 9, 2025
Monday’s prisoner exchange follows a larger swap in late May involving 390 individuals from each side.
The exchange came just hours after Russia launched its largest aerial assault since the full-scale invasion began in 2022.
In a statement posted on Telegram, Ukraine’s Air Force said Russia has launched a total of 499 aerial weapons on Monday, including 479 Shahed-type attack drones, several decoy drones, and a range of missiles: four Kh-47M2 “Kinzhal” air-launched ballistic missiles, 10 Kh-101 cruise missiles, three Kh-22 cruise missiles, two Kh-31P anti-radar missiles, and one Kh-35 cruise missile.
According to the statement, 479 of the incoming threats were intercepted or neutralized, 292 were shot down by air defense systems, while 187 were disrupted through electronic warfare.
The barrage caused damage across multiple Ukrainian regions.
In Kyiv Oblast, sirens lasted over ten hours, with damage reported to homes and vehicles in Boryspil district. In Rivne Oblast, one civilian was injured.
In Zaporizhzhia Oblast, one person was injured in strikes affecting 14 towns. In Kherson, four civilians were hurt as missiles and drones hit residential buildings. Kharkiv Oblast saw seven injuries from attacks on nine villages.
Dnipropetrovsk, Sumy, and Cherkasy regions also reported damage to homes, farms, and infrastructure, with nine injuries and 21 evacuations in Sumy alone.
The main target of the Russian attack was a military airfield near Dubno in Rivne Oblast, Ukraine’s Air Force spokesperson Yurii Ihnat said, without providing details on the extent of the damage.
Russia reportedly launched 1 to 3 Kinzhals to strike an airbase near Dubno, Rivne Oblast in Ukraine 🇺🇦 according to FIRMS
X-101s and Shaheds were also flying for a large strike on Dubno, a town in Rivne Oblast with 36,000 people, and a developing air base with several facilities pic.twitter.com/NgLPyYzbSg
— Ukraine Battle Map (@ukraine_map) June 9, 2025
Russia’s Ministry of Defense claimed the strikes were retaliation to the Ukrainian drone attacks on Russian military sites and claimed that “all designated facilities” were hit.
Meanwhile, Russia reported two injuries from Ukrainian drone attacks in the Kursk region and stated that 49 Ukrainian drones were intercepted across seven Russian regions.
