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Ukraine returns 32 POWs, body of Israeli soldier

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President's Office Head Andriy Yermak said that Ukraine returned officers and soldiers, some of whom were considered missing.

Ukraine also returned the body of Israeli citizen Dmytro Fialka, who joined Ukraine's forces after living two years in Ukraine and was killed in action on Sept. 1, according to a youth football team from Lviv, where Fialka was a coach.

According to Defense Ministry's Intelligence Directorate Head Kyrylo Budanov, Ukraine continues to negotiate an all-for-all prisoner swap, but the process takes a long time.

The previous prisoner swap on Sept. 21 involved the release of 215 Ukrainian soldiers, including high-level commanders, and 10 foreign nationals who had fought on the Ukrainian side. Ukraine got prisoners of war in exchange for Viktor Medvedchuk, Ukraine's most high-profile pro-Kremlin politician and Russian President Vladimir Putin's former right-hand man in the country. Medvedchuk was arrested in April on the charges of high treason.

Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk earlier said that Russia currently has 2,500 Ukrainian POWs.

Ukraine returns 215 POWs, including Azovstal defenders, from Russian captivity
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The Kyiv Independent news desk

We are the news team of the Kyiv Independent. We are here to make sure our readers get quick, essential updates about the events in Ukraine. Feel free to contact us via email with feedback and news alerts.

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U.S. President Donald Trump said on Nov. 25 that there is no specific deadline for Ukraine to accept the initially drafted 28-point proposal, easing previous statements that implied he hoped for a Thanksgiving agreement. "The deadline for me is when it’s over," Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One.

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U.S. Army Secretary Dan Driscoll traveled to Abu Dhabi on Nov. 24 for negotiations with Kyrylo Budanov, Ukraine's military intelligence chief, and a Russian delegation, Driscoll's spokesperson, Lieutenant Colonel Jeff Tolbert, confirmed to Axios.

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