Even after Ukraine cut diplomatic ties with Russia in 2022, prisoner exchanges have continued as one of the few remaining channels of communication between the two countries. Negotiated behind closed doors and carried out irregularly,

The Ukrainian POWs exchanged on Thursday were sick or injured, according to Kyiv's coordinating council for POWs. The Russian POWs would also be sent for treatment and rehabilitation, Moscow's defence ministry said.

Ukraine and Russia carried out another exchange of prisoners of war as agreed in the 2 June Istanbul talks. Kyiv has not revealed how many Ukrainian defenders have been exchanged at each stage, saying only that the Thursday swap focused on severely wounded soldiers.

Russia and Ukraine said they exchanged an unspecified number of sick and wounded prisoners of war on Tuesday under an agreement reached at peace talks last week in Turkey. The handover took place after an initial swap of prisoners under the age of 25 was conducted on Monday.

Since then, Russia and Ukraine have swapped dozens of prisoners of war, focusing on under-25s and the severely wounded and sick. There are hopes they could build into some of the biggest exchanges in the war that was triggered by Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukraine.

Many were suffering from injuries and prolonged detention, according to Ukraine's Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War (KSHPPV). The exchange was confirmed by Russia's defense ministry,