Russia and Ukraine exchanged prisoners of war under the age of 25 on Monday in emotional homecoming scenes, the first step in a series of planned prisoner swaps that could become the biggest of the war so far.

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.

Russia and Ukraine carried out an exchange of prisoners of war on Monday involving POWs under the age of 25 and others who had been severely wounded, the start of what could become the biggest swap of the war so far.

Ukraine has brought home another group of soldiers released from Russian captivity, President Volodymyr Zelensky announced on June 19.

Russia and Ukraine exchanged captured soldiers on Friday in the latest prisoner swap agreed during peace talks in Istanbul, offering a rare sign of cooperation despite stalled negotiations and continued fighting.

Both sides said it would be the biggest exchange once completed. Read more at straitstimes.com. Read more at straitstimes.com.

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.

Ukraine and Russia have held a new stage of a major prisoner exchange. Today, on June 20, wounded and severely ill Ukrainian defenders returned home, according to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

The Security Service of Ukraine (SSU) and the Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War have released footage of the latest prisoner exchange. Source: SSU; Coordination Headquarters Quote from the SSU: "Today’s exchange is the result of the work of the Joint Centre for Coordination of the Search and Release of Prisoners of