Moscow, Kiev exchange prisoners on Ukraine independence anniversary

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Russia and Ukraine exchanged more than a hundred prisoners Saturday as Kiev marked its third Independence Day since Moscow’s full-scale invasion.

Ukraine said the 115 freed Ukrainian soldiers were conscripts, many of whom were detained in the first months of the Russian invasion. About 50 of them were captured by Kremlin forces after the siege of the Yazovstar steel plant in Mariupol.

The Russian Defense Ministry detailed that 115 of its soldiers were captured during a surprise attack by Kiev’s army in Russia’s Kursk region two weeks ago, adding that the soldiers were in Belarus at the time but will be transferred to Russia for medical treatment and rehabilitation.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky explained in a publication

Pictures accompanying the president’s speech showed skinny soldiers with shaved heads and wrapped in Ukrainian flags.

“We remember every one of them. We are searching and doing everything possible to bring them all back,” Zelensky added.

Officials from both sides meet only to exchange the dead and prisoners of war after long preparations and diplomatic efforts. Neither Ukraine nor Russia has disclosed how many prisoners of war there are in total.

According to the United Nations, most Ukrainians suffer routine medical neglect, severe and systematic ill-treatment, and even torture while in detention. There are also isolated reports of Russian soldiers being mistreated, mostly while captured or sent to detention centers.

Last January, Russia and Ukraine exchanged hundreds of prisoners in the largest ever swap.

Drone and artillery attacks continue

On Saturday, Russian forces shelled the southern city of Kherson, capital of the Ukrainian region of the same name that is partly occupied by Moscow, killing five people and wounding five, according to local authorities.

A Russian airstrike killed two people and wounded four people, including a baby, in the southern Ukrainian city of Kherson on Saturday, officials said.

A Russian drone strike killed two people and an explosion in the northeastern region of Sumy killed one person.

The Ukrainian Air Force reported that they intercepted and destroyed seven drones in the south of the country. In addition, Russian long-range bombers hit the Zmini Island area with four cruise missiles, while other areas in the Kherson region were hit by aerial bombs.

In Russia, the Defense Ministry reported on Saturday that its air defenses shot down seven drones overnight.

Voronezh Governor Alexander Gusev said five drones were shot down over the southwestern part of Voronezh region, bordering Ukraine, injuring two people.

Ukraine’s military intelligence service claimed to have blown up a warehouse storing 5,000 tons of ammunition in the region’s Ostrogozhsky district. Videos released by news outlet Astra appeared to show an ammunition depot exploding after being hit by a drone. The videos could not be independently verified.

Vyacheslav Gladkov, the governor of the border province of Belgorod, said two people were wounded in another drone attack, while local authorities reported a fifth drone was intercepted over Bryansk with no injuries.

In Kursk, where Ukrainian troops launched a surprise offensive on Russian territory two weeks ago, Governor Alexi Smirnov said Saturday that three missiles were shot down overnight and four more were shot down Saturday morning.

Russian air defenses also destroyed two drones in Kursk and Bryansk on Saturday morning, according to the Russian Defense Ministry.

Independence Day Celebrations

On Saturday, Ukraine celebrates the 33rd anniversary of its independence, as the war against Russian aggression enters its 30th month. No celebrations are being organized, instead Ukrainians will mark the day by paying tribute to the civilians and soldiers who have lost their lives since the beginning of the conflict.

At an anniversary ceremony, Zelensky announced on Saturday that Ukraine had successfully used a new domestically-produced drone against Russian forces for the first time.

“Today, our new weapon was successfully used in combat for the first time: a completely new weapon, the Ukrainian ‘Palyanitsa’ missile drone,” Zelensky said.

He gave no further details but added that “the enemy had been attacked” and thanked the developers and manufacturers.

Polish president attends commemoration in Kiev

Polish President Andrzej Duda arrived in Kiev by train early Saturday in a symbolic show of support from one of his country’s main allies.

In a video released by his office, he was greeted by Ukrainian officials and later paid his respects at an event at a memorial wall for Ukraine’s fallen soldiers.

Duda’s fifth visit to Kyiv since February 2022 sent the message that support for Ukraine in Warsaw remains strong as the war enters its third year.

Poland, located to the west of Ukraine, has donated weapons and served as a hub for Western arms destined for Ukraine. It has also hosted tens of thousands of Ukrainians fleeing the war. It is the country hosting the largest number of Ukrainian refugees after Germany.

A trade dispute that strained relations last year over Ukrainian food issues and historical grievances between the two countries have sometimes stirred bad feelings, especially among Poles who remember pogroms committed by Ukrainian nationalists during World War II.