Russia and Ukraine announced on Saturday that they have conducted a significant prisoner swap, marking the largest exchange since the onset of the full-scale Russian invasion over three years ago.
According to Russia’s Ministry of Defense, 246 Russian soldiers were returned from areas under Ukrainian control, while 31 injured Ukrainian prisoners of war were exchanged for 15 wounded Russian soldiers requiring urgent medical attention, described as a "gesture of goodwill."
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky stated that 277 Ukrainian "warriors" have been brought back from captivity in Russia.
In a related development, Russian President Vladimir Putin declared a temporary ceasefire for Easter, citing humanitarian concerns, as reported by the Kremlin on Saturday.
This announcement coincided with reports from Russia’s Defense Ministry indicating that its forces have successfully pushed Ukrainian troops from one of their last strongholds in the Kursk region, where a surprise incursion by Ukrainian forces occurred last year.
Additionally, Russian and North Korean troops have significantly diminished Kyiv's leverage by reclaiming most of the region, which had previously been a site of Ukrainian military operations.
In other news, the Ukrainian air force reported that Russia launched 87 explosive drones and decoys in a recent wave of attacks overnight into Saturday, with 33 intercepted and another 36 likely lost due to electronic jamming.
Furthermore, Russian strikes caused damage to agricultural lands in the Odesa region and ignited fires in the Sumy region overnight, according to Ukraine’s State Emergency Service, which confirmed that the fires were contained and no casualties were reported.
Meanwhile, Russia’s Ministry of Defense claimed that its air defense systems successfully shot down two Ukrainian drones during the same overnight period.