In a significant development on Saturday (April 19) Russia and Ukraine confirmed an extensive exchange of prisoners, which meant the largest swap since the beginning of the Russian invasion in full three years ago.
According to the Russian Ministry of Defense, 246 members of Russian services were returned from the Ukrainian territory. In return, Ukraine received 277 its employees.
“Another 277 Ukrainian warriors returned from Russian captivity home,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zlenicly published x (formerly Twitter). “We remember each of our people and we have to bring them all back.”
Injuries to the prisoners were preferred
Russia also said that the exchange included 31 injured Ukrainian prisoners of war, transferred “as a gesture of goodwill” in exchange for 15 injured Russian soldiers who require urgent medical attention.
Putin declares an Easter ceasefire
At the beginning of the day, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced a temporary Easter ceasefire with citing humanitarian reasons. The Kremlin said the ceasefire will begin at 18:00 Moscow time (1500 GMT) on Saturday and lasts until midnight on Easter Sunday.
“We assume that the Ukrainian side will be followed by our example,” Putin said during the meeting with the Chief of the General Staff of Valera Gerasimov, whose video was published by the Kremlin. “At the same time, our units must be ready to reflect possible violation of the ceasefire and provocation of the enemy.”
Green calls a ceasefire Charade
Ukrainian President Green criticized the ceasefireaccusation of Russia of hypocrisy. “The confirmation of the air raid is spreading around Ukraine,” he wrote on X. “Shahed drones in our sky reveal Putin’s real attitude towards Easter Ak Human Life.”
Development in the middle of a hard speech Trump
The development followed the notes of US President Donald Trump on Friday, who said that peace negotiations between Russia and Ukraine “come to his head”. He stressed that no party “played” him in his diplomatic pressure to end the war.
Foreign Minister Marco Rubio had previously warned against a stricter attitude and said that the US could “move” from peace negotiations unless tangible progress soon oversee. “It won’t continue forever,” he said.
Trump had previously boasted that he could end the war within 24 hours if he was in charge, a claim that he later clarified as sarcastic. Despite this, the president repeated his obligation to find a diplomatic solution and expressed frustration from the outstretched conflict.
The conflict between Russia and Ukraine, which began Russian invasion in full scale in February 2022, has now entered its fourth year.
(Tagstotranslate) Russian-Ukrainian Prison Exchange (T) 246 Members of the Russian Service (T) 277 Ukrainian staff
