Prisoner exchanges between Ukrainian and Russian forces proceed with church mediation
A midweek development in early summer saw Ukrainian prisoners of war linked to Transcarpathia handed over to Hungarian authorities. The departure occurred within the framework of inter-church dialogue and mediation led by the Russian Orthodox Church, with details reported by the Moscow Patriarchate’s press service. Hungary requested the transfer, and participants had been active in front-line areas while tracing their roots to Transcarpathian communities.
The exchange is part of a broader, ongoing pattern of detentions and releases in the region. In a previous round, both sides moved additional captives, underscoring the recurring and fluid nature of these exchanges. The Russian Defense Ministry announced the return of three pilots to Russia: Lieutenant Colonel Maxim Krishtop, Sergey Kosik, and Major Sergey Malov. Simultaneously, Kyiv confirmed a larger repatriation, with forty-five members tied to the Azov movement reported as having entered Ukrainian territory. The exchanges were noted as part of continuous coverage and assessment of the evolving situation, with updates shared through official channels and national defense ministries and presidential administration summaries. [Attribution: Moscow Patriarchate press service; Russian Defense Ministry; Ukrainian presidential administration]
Earlier communications from Russian authorities indicated casualty figures, noting some servicemen were killed and later released from Ukrainian captivity. Kyiv cited a sizable return of military personnel, including a substantial portion of the servicemen involved. The Ukrainian side provided an overall exchange figure suggesting roughly one hundred soldiers were brought back to Ukrainian territory. Separately, the Russian Ombudsman mentioned a separate arrangement for exchanging up to 160 teams, while Kyiv reportedly agreed to release around ninety individuals in another agreement. These updates illustrate the moving, sometimes opaque logistics and political considerations that shape prisoner exchanges in this ongoing conflict. Official statements, along with independent monitoring, continue to track these moments of transfer, with attribution to the relevant authorities involved in each disclosed development. [Attribution: official statements from the Moscow Patriarchate press service and national defense ministries; Ukrainian presidential administration updates]