On Friday, Russia’s Defense Ministry announced that it had executed yet another prisoner swap with Ukraine as part of agreements made during direct peace negotiations held in Istanbul the previous month.

According to a statement from the ministry, “On July 4, in line with the Russia-Ukraine agreements reached in Istanbul on June 2, a new group of Russian military personnel has been returned from areas controlled by the Kyiv administration.”

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky subsequently confirmed the exchange, noting that “most” of the returned Ukrainian soldiers had been held captive by Russia since 2022.

“Exchanges must continue, and I am grateful to everyone who makes this possible. Ukraine’s aim is to reunite all our people,” Zelensky posted on Telegram.

Neither party revealed the specific number of prisoners involved in the exchange.

The Russian state news agency TASS, citing an unnamed source, reported that the swap was “equal” and included two civilians from the Kursk region. Zelensky verified the presence of civilians among those returned, alongside soldiers, National Guardsmen, and border patrol members.

During the negotiations on June 2 in Istanbul, Russia and Ukraine had consented to the exchange of over 1,000 wounded or ill service members, as well as personnel under 25 years of age. Prior to Friday’s exchange, both nations had conducted at least seven swaps, with the last occurring on June 26.

Russia further indicated that its troops had been transferred to Belarus for psychological and medical support.

This announcement came shortly after Ukraine accused Russia of launching its most extensive air assault of the conflict, amid Ukrainian drone strikes on Russian territory that resulted in the death of an elderly woman and left many without electricity.