Amid tensions of the ongoing war, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced a major prisoner exchange, resulting from the first direct negotiations with Russia since spring 2022. On a hopeful Friday in the Chernihiv region, families gathered anxiously waiting for their loved ones to return home, as 390 prisoners, including soldiers and civilians, were swapped. Despite the backdrop of failed ceasefire talks, the swap is seen as a significant achievement by Ukrainian officials, representing not just the return of individuals, but a glimmer of hope in dark times.
The crowd of hopefuls stood on the roadside wrapped in blue-and-yellow flags...clutching photos of captured Ukrainian soldiers - their eyes peeled for any sign of buses.
President Zelensky said at first that 390 people would be returned, and that he expected more to return throughout the weekend. "We are bringing our people home," he wrote.
The Russian Defense Ministry said it had delivered 390 prisoners...Photos appear to show some freed prisoners draped in Ukrainian flags...before they had reached their loved ones.
Kyiv has heralded the swap itself as a major accomplishment, with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha describing the tense and otherwise fruitless talks.
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