Key developments on July 4: * 'Nothing but terror and murder' — Russia pounds Kyiv with record overnight drone, missile attack, 1 dead, 26 injured * Zelensky, Trump discuss air defense, joint drone production amid Russian strikes * 'There is also good news' — Ukrainian drones hit key military optics plant in Russia, General Staff
Key developments on July 2: * As Russia ramps up missile attacks, US halts promised air defense shipments to Ukraine * North Korea to send up to 30,000 more troops to aid Russia's war against Ukraine, CNN reports * Ukraine denies another Russian claim of Dnipropetrovsk Oblast breakthrough, says small incursion repelled
Seventy-seven criminal cases have been launched in connection with the murders, while only two people were convicted, and a trial against a third person is ongoing.
For Ukraine, June began with a celebration — not the one the whole country longs for, victory over Moscow — but a celebration of one of the most stunning drone attacks on Russia, known as Operation Spiderweb. On June 1, Ukrainian drones targeted four Russian air bases – two of them thousands of
A Russian military court has convicted 184 Ukrainian prisoners of war (POWs) captured in Kursk Oblast of acts of terrorism, Mediazona reported on June 25.
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, POW swaps — and the decisions surrounding them — have long been shrouded in secrecy. Controversies have
Serhii Dobrovolskyi, a Ukrainian soldier who had been in Russian captivity since 2023, has died just a month after his release at the end of May as part of a 1000-for-1000 prisoner swap, an official from the soldier's home region announced on June 21.
"These are warriors of the Armed Forces, the National Guard, and the State Border Guard Service. Most of them had been held captive since 2022," President Volodymyr Zelensky said, without revealing their numbers.
After more than three years of Russia’s full-scale invasion, each new revelation of cruel treatment of Ukrainians in Russian captivity hardly surprises anyone. But when a photo recently emerged online, showing a “Glory to Russia” scar on the body of a Ukrainian prisoner of war (POW), it sent shockwaves
"This could have been done by the Russians on purpose to increase the number of bodies transferred and to load our (forensic) experts with work, adding to all this cynical information pressure. Or it could be their usual negligent attitude toward their own people. In any case, we also identify these bodies," Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko said.
Key developments on June 12: * Ukrainian forces 'gradually pushing back' Russian troops from Sumy Oblast, Zelensky says * Germany to supply new Iris-T air defense systems to Ukraine, rules out Taurus missiles * Ukraine, Russia carry out another exchange of POWs under Istanbul deal * 'Juicy target' — Ukraine says it struck Russian electronics
"All of them require immediate medical attention," President Volodymyr Zelensky said.
Key developments on June 9: * Ukraine shoots down nearly 500 drones, missiles in Russian record strike, Air Force says * Ukraine begins new major prisoner exchange with Russia * Russia claims offensive in Dnipropetrovsk Oblast aimed at creating 'buffer zone,' Ukraine denies reports of incursion * Putin approves new naval strategy as
Russian authorities accuse sniper Ruslan Orlov and paramedic Artem Novikov of shooting three civilians in Mariupol in April 2022.
Budanov's statement comes just a day after Russia claimed that a prisoner swap had failed due to Ukraine's fault — an accusation Kyiv denied.
"If the Russian side is now backing away from what was promised in Istanbul, it raises serious questions about the reliability and capability of their negotiating team," Ukraine's Defense Ministry said on June 7.
Key developments on June 4: * Ukraine hacks Russia's Tupolev bomber producer, source claims * Putin's 'disregard' for troops highlighted as Russian losses approach 1 million, study finds * Ukraine expects to exchange 500 POWs in next swap with Russia, Zelensky says * Russia strikes Ukrainian military training facility in Poltava Oblast, military says
Key developments on June 2: * Ukraine, Russia conclude talks in Istanbul, a 1,200-for-1,200 prisoner exchange is in the works, Zelensky says * 5 Ukrainian regions, ban on NATO, limits on Kyiv's army — Russian media publishes Moscow's official peace demands * 34% of Russian strategic Russian bombers at main airfields damaged
The next prisoner exchange will reportedly include young people between the ages of 18 and 25, as well as people with serious injuries.
The confirmed statistic, which includes multiple units who fought to defend the Azovstal Steel Plant in Mariupol, comes amid social media outcry criticizing Ukrainian authorities for failing to return certain captives, including Azov fighters, during the war's largest 1,000-for-1,000 POW exchange
At least 206 of the 5,000 Ukrainian soldiers repatriated to Ukraine died in Russian captivity, the Associated Press (AP) reported on May 27.
Key developments on May 26: * West no longer imposing range restrictions on arms for Ukraine, Germany's Merz says * Russia launches record 355 drones at Ukraine; 6 killed, 24 injured over past 24 hours * Russian drone production site, chemical plant targeted in alleged Ukrainian drone strike * Netherlands to send last of
As part of the 1,000-for-1,000 prisoner exchange with Russia, Ukraine has recovered soldiers from 46 military units that had previously seen none of their members returned, the Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War (POW) reported on May 26.
Ukrainian investigators are working to identify Anatolii Taranenko and verify the accusations raised against him, said Andrii Yusov, deputy head of the Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War (POW).
The military described the Kursk campaign as an "unexpected and asymmetric" move that helped fill the so-called "exchange fund" — Ukrainian terminology for captured Russian soldiers who can be traded for Ukrainian POWs.
The prisoner exchange took place in three phases carried out over three days, and was agreed on during peace talks held in Turkey on May 16, the first direct negotiations between Ukraine and Russia in three years.
On May 23, Ukraine and Russia began the largest prisoner exchange since 2014. Over three days, 1,000 prisoners of war (POWs) from both sides will return home in a deal agreed upon during direct Russia-Ukraine talks in Istanbul earlier this month — the first such talks between Moscow and Kyiv since 2022. The Kyiv Independent went to the site of exchange.
Key developments on May 23: * Ukraine, Russia hold largest prisoner swap since start of Russia's war * Ukraine confirms strike on Russian factory making parts for Iskander ballistic missiles, glide bombs * Russian military helicopter crashes in Oryol Oblast * Zelensky slams Russia's delay on peace memorandum as 'mockery of the whole world'
The nature, size, and political significance of prisoner exchanges between Ukraine and Russia have evolved significantly over the three and a half years of the full-scale war, accelerating sharply in recent weeks. While ceasefire and peace negotiations have gone through periods of halts and bursts, increasingly institutionalized prisoner exchanges are
According to Ukraine's Prosecutor General's Office, the incident occurred on May 22 during an attack on Ukrainian positions in one of the most active combat zones of the front line.
Editor's note: The article incorrectly said that only soldiers were brought back to Ukraine as part of the exchange. Ukraine has brought back home 290 soldiers and 120 civilians. Their eyes fill with tears as they hear people shouting, ‘Thank you!’ and ‘Glory to Ukraine!’ The soldiers have just arrived
A major prisoner swap between Ukraine and Russia involving around 1,000 POWs from each side is expected to take place next week, Ukraine's military intelligence chief said on air on May 17, following an agreement reached in Istanbul.
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