Russia and Ukraine have completed their largest prisoner exchange since the war began, swapping 1,000 prisoners each over a three-day period that ended on Sunday. The exchange, which included both prisoners of war and civilians, was agreed upon during face-to-face peace talks in Istanbul earlier this month, the first direct talks since the start of the conflict.
Despite this rare moment of cooperation, fighting continued. The day of the final exchange was marked by the largest Russian aerial assault yet, involving 367 drones and missiles targeting more than 30 Ukrainian cities, including Kyiv, Zhytomyr, Khmelnytskyi, and Kharkiv, killing at least 12 people and injuring dozens. Meanwhile, Russia’s Defense Ministry reported intercepting over 100 Ukrainian drones during the same period.
