Ukraine-Russia war latest: Moscow and Kyiv begin first exchange of prisoners of war

At a rendezvous point for the returning Ukrainian prisoners, soon after they crossed back into northern Ukraine, an official handed one of the freed men a phone so that he could call his mother, according to a video released by Ukrainian authorities.

“Hi mum, I’ve arrived, I’m home,” the soldier shouted, overcome by emotion.

In another video clip distributed by Ukrainian officials, one returned prisoner could be seen talking on the phone to a relative of another man still in captivity.

“Don’t worry, everything is okay with him,” the soldier told the relative, a woman called Tania, whose tearful voice could be heard on the other end of the call.

Officials in Kyiv said some of the Ukrainian prisoners who came home on Monday had been in Russian captivity since the beginning of the war.

Russia’s defence ministry claims to have shot down 49 Ukrainian drones overnight over seven Russian regions.

Two drones hit a plant specialising in electronic warfare equipment in the Chuvashia region, located more than 600 kilometres east of Moscow, local officials said.

Alexander Gusev, the head of Russia’s Voronezh region, said that 25 drones had been shot down there overnight, damaging a gas pipeline and sparking a small fire.

It came as Russia launched its largest overnight attack of the war so far, firing 479 drones and 20 other missiles at Ukraine, mainly in central and western areas far from the front line, according to Kyiv’s air force.

The five largest overnight Russian attacks on Ukraine have all come in the past 15 days, according to daily tallies published by Ukraine’s military.

Tenor Vladislav Gorai, a soloist with the Odesa National Opera, has died while participating in a volunteer mission in the Sumy region, according to opera officials.

The Odesa National Opera shared the news on Facebook statement, with a statement which reads: “The whole world knew the voice of Vladislav Vikentiiovych, but his heart belonged to Ukraine.

Russia has claimed its forces have taken more control over Ukraine’s eastern-central region of Dnipropetrovsk, where the Kremlin said fighting was partly aimed at creating a “buffer zone.”

State media quoted the Defence Ministry as saying that Russian troops “continued to advance into the depths of the enemy’s defence” and had increased the area of territory in Dnipropetrovsk they controlled.

This could not be independently confirmed. Ukraine said over the weekend its forces were holding the section of the front near the eastern border of Dnipropetrovsk.

President Volodymyr Zelensky shared a celebratory post on X as he welcomed home prisoners of war that are wounded, severely wounded, and those under the age of 25 from Russian captivity.

He said: “Our people are home.Ukrainians are returning home from Russian captivity.

“Today, an exchange began, which will continue in several stages over the coming days.

“Among those we are bringing back now are the wounded, the severely wounded, and those under the age of 25. The process is quite complex, with many sensitive details, and negotiations continue virtually every day.

“We count on the full implementation of the humanitarian agreements reached during the meeting in Istanbul. We are doing everything possible to bring back every single person. We are working toward this at every level.

“We must bring home everyone who remains in captivity. I thank everyone who is helping.

Russia and Ukraine have carried out a prisoner of war exchange involving Prisoners of War under the age of 25, Russian news agencies reported on Monday, citing the Russian Defence Ministry.

It was the first group of Prisoner of Wars to be exchanged since a June 2 meeting in Istanbul between Russia and Ukraine agreed to conduct a new swap.

Russia is stepping up its summer offensive both on the ground and in the air but support from Europe and sophisticated drone warfare could help Ukraine hold Moscow back.

“Not so, Dmitry Peskov pouted; the conflict is an “existential question” for Russia. “This is a question of our security and the future of ourselves and our children, the future of our country,” continued Putin’s spokesman, who has grown more accustomed to preening with pleasure at the relentless assaults on Ukraine from the White House this year.

“He is right. Victory for Russia was once defined as regime change in Kyiv. But it really need only be a messed up Ukraine, unstable, violent and impoverished.”

World affairs editor Sam Kiley takes a closer look.

According to Ukraine’s daily air force updates, these are some of the biggest attacks of the war so far:

1. 499 drones and missiles reported 9 June
2. 479 drones and missiles reported 1 June
3. 452 drones and missiles reported 6 June
4. 367 drones and missiles reported 25 May
5. 364 drones and missiles reported 26 May