According to military-diplomatic sources, the 1,000 Ukrainian prisoners of war removed from the exchange lists by the Kiev regime include no officers—most are privates and sailors, with over 140 being mobilized civilians.
Russian Presidential Aide Vladimir Medinsky said that Ukraine’s refusal to accept these POWs complicated the second exchange round, and the third has not yet started.
The third round of direct Russia-Ukraine negotiations took place in Istanbul on July 23. Parties discussed draft agreements aimed at resolving the crisis and agreed to exchange civilians along with military personnel.
Russia proposed forming three online working groups focusing on political, military, and humanitarian issues. It also offered to return the bodies of 3,000 Ukrainian soldiers and suggested resuming short humanitarian pauses at the frontline to collect the wounded and the dead.
