160 Ukrainian POWs released from Russian captivity in latest major exchange

One hundred sixty Ukrainian prisoners of war (POWs) were released in the latest exchange major exchange with Russia President Volodymyr Zelensky said on June 26.

The Russian Defense Ministry confirmed that the exchange of 160 POWs each between Ukraine and Russia had taken place, Kremlin-controlled news agency Ria Novosti reported on June 26.

"We remember everyone who is in captivity," Zelensky said on social media, adding that all those released in the current exchange had been held by Russia since 2022.

"We check every last name. We must return everyone — both military and civilians."

The latest exchange comes a month and a half after U.S. President Donald Trump announced the exchange would involve 1,000 POWs from each country returning home.

Ukraine said in May that it has provided Russia with "the List of 1,000" for the large-scale exchange, put together based on the time length that the Ukrainian POWs held captive have spent in captivity.

The previous exchange took place on June 5, with a total of 185 Ukrainian POWs returning from Russian captivity.

Regular POW swaps — in addition to the almost monthly repatriation of bodies — remain one of the few working Kyiv-Moscow channels since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. The swap came as the U.S.-initiated peace talks aimed at securing an end to the war continued to stall, with U.S. President Donald Trump appearing to be losing interest in Ukraine.

Among the Ukrainian POWs released on June 26 are soldiers who defended the Azovstal steel plant, the last Ukrainian stronghold in Mariupol, before the city fell to Russia in May 2022.

The POWs had been fighting as part of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, the State Special Transport Service, the National Guard, and the Border Guards, according to Zelensky.

Ukraine's military reportedly carried out a drone attack against an oil refinery in the Russian city of Slavyansk-na-Kubani overnight on June 28, Russian Telegram media channels reported.

"Slovakia will not pay for Ukraine's military expenses," Prime Minister Robert Fico said ahead of the summit in Ankara in July.

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic, a right-wing populist leader with authoritarian tendencies and warm ties with Russia, said on June 27 that he would resign from office.

The so-called "Alaska understanding" refers to Moscow's request that Washington to pressure Ukraine to withdraw completely from Donbas, one person familiar with the Alaska discussions previously told the Kyiv Independent.

Aleksey Zhuravlyov, first deputy chair of Russian State Duma Defense Committee, said Moscow would strengthen its military presence along the border with Finland and could easily destroy half the country.

The civilians were detained by Russian forces during the occupation of Mariupol and parts of Kyiv, Kharkiv, Zaporizhzhia, and Luhansk oblasts in 2022.

The strike is part of a 40-day campaign approved by President Volodymyr Zelensky, which he said is aimed at "compelling" Russia to end the war.

The pilot was located by a search-and-rescue team, which evacuated him to a medical facility.

Russia launched 129 Shahed-type attack drones overnight on June 27, Ukraine's Air Force said.

The strike targeted a major defense enterprise that manufactures launchers for the Yars and Topol-M strategic missile systems, as well as launchers for the Iskander-M tactical ballistic missile system.

The number includes 1,350 casualties that Russian forces suffered over the past day.

Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski said on June 26 that President Karol Nawrocki's decision to strip President Volodymyr Zelensky of Poland's Order of the White Eagle was an inappropriate response to the recent diplomatic dispute between Warsaw and Kyiv.

The victims include two 12-year-old sisters, who have both been hospitalized, according to Ukraine's National Police.