Russia and Ukraine each exchanged 115 prisoners of war as kyiv yesterday celebrated its third Independence Day since the invasion.
Volodymyr Zelensky, in comments marking 33 years of the post-Soviet era, derided Vladimir Putin as the “sick old man of Red Square.”
“Today, another 115 of our defenders have returned home. They are warriors of the National Guard, the Armed Forces, the Navy and the State Border Guard Service,” he said on social media.
The Russian Defense Ministry said its 115 freed soldiers had been captured during the Ukrainian attack in the Kursk region. The exchange was the first since Ukraine launched its offensive in the border region with Russia.
Ukrainian POW reacts after exchange amid Russia’s attack on Ukraine
The Russian Defense Ministry said its 115 released servicemen had been captured during Ukraine’s attack on the Kursk region.
The exchange was the first since Ukraine launched its offensive in the region across the border with Russia.
Zelensky confirmed the prisoner exchange on social media, saying: ‘Another 115 of our defenders have returned home today.’
A Ukrainian prisoner of war lies on the ground after being released from captivity in Russia
Zelensky also praised a new Ukrainian “unmanned missile” that he said would hit Russia hard. The weapon, Palianytsia, is faster and more powerful than any other Kiev has used so far to attack Putin’s oil refineries and airfields, he said. “This is our new method of retaliation against the aggressor,” he added.
Zelensky said the new class of weaponry had already been used successfully, but did not say where. Describing the 71-year-old Russian president and Moscow’s nuclear rhetoric, he said “a sick old man in Red Square who constantly threatens the whole world with the red button will not dictate any of his red lines to us.” Zelensky has been lobbying his allies to allow him to use Western weapons deeper inside Russian territory.
“I want to stress once again that our new decisions on weapons, including Palianytsia, are our realistic way of acting, while some of our partners are unfortunately delaying their decisions,” he said.
Ukrainians say the word Palianytsia is too difficult for Russians to pronounce and has been used as a password to distinguish soldiers.