Zelenskyy says Ukraine is engaged on prisoner change with Russia

“We are … relying on the resumption of POW exchanges,” Mr. Zelenskyy wrote on X. “Many conferences, negotiations and calls are at the moment going down to make sure this.”

Rustem Umerov, Secretary of Ukraine’s National Security and Defense Council, mentioned Saturday he held consultations mediated by Turkey and the United Arab Emirates on resuming exchanges.

He mentioned the events agreed to activate prisoner change agreements brokered in Istanbul to launch 1,200 Ukrainians. Moscow didn’t instantly touch upon the declare.

The Istanbul agreements confer with prisoner-exchange protocols established with Turkish mediation in 2022 that set guidelines for big, coordinated swaps. Since then, Russia and Ukraine have traded 1000’s of prisoners, although exchanges have been sporadic.

Mr. Umerov mentioned technical consultations can be held quickly to finalise procedural and organisational particulars, expressing hope that returning Ukrainians may “have fun the New Year and Christmas holidays at dwelling — on the household desk and subsequent to their kinfolk.”

In different developments, power infrastructure was broken by Russian drone strikes in a single day into Sunday in Ukraine’s Odesa area, Ukraine’s State Emergency Service mentioned. A solar energy plant was among the many broken websites.

Ukraine is desperately making an attempt to fend off relentless Russian aerial assaults which have introduced rolling blackouts throughout Ukraine getting ready to winter.

Combined missile and drone strikes on the facility grid have coincided with Ukraine’s efforts to carry again a Russian battlefield push aimed toward capturing the japanese stronghold of Pokrovsk.

Russia fired a complete of 176 drones and one missile in a single day, Ukraine’s air pressure mentioned Sunday, including that Ukrainian forces shot down or neutralized 139 drones.

Russia’s protection ministry mentioned Sunday that its forces shot down 57 Ukrainian drones in a single day.