Zelensky Challenges Putin as Ukraine Returns 185 Defenders From Russian Captivity

Ukraine and Russia carried out a prisoner exchange on June 5, with 185 Ukrainian defenders and one civilian returning from Russian captivity, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said.

RaiNews described the exchange as the only current signal after Zelensky’s open letter to Vladimir Putin proposing they meet in a third-neutral country to end the war.

Al Jazeera

RaiNews also said Zelensky’s letter was “di sfida,” citing his line: “Hai trascorso quasi metà dei tuoi 26 anni al potere in guerra contro l'Ucraina. Una guerra senza una vera ragione. Non è il futuro della Russia essere in bilico, ma il tuo”.

In the same RaiNews account, Ukraine’s military said the drone exploded in the Romanian port of Costanza on the Black Sea was theirs and “Deviato dai russi”, adding it “è finito fuori controllo”.

The exchange was described by Kyiv Post as involving defenders of Mariupol, including a participant in helicopter missions that supplied the besieged Azovstal steel plant during the city’s defense.

Zelenskyy framed the June 5 exchange as a return of people held since 2022, saying: “Another 185 Ukrainian defenders are returning home from Russian captivity today. And one civilian is also returning with the defenders,” according to The New Voice of Ukraine.

The New Voice of Ukraine also said the Coordination Headquarters reported the 75th exchange and that it was facilitated with the assistance of the United States and the United Arab Emirates.

Anadolu Ajansı

Anadolu Ajansı reported Russia’s side as well, saying the United Arab Emirates facilitated the swap and that the Russian servicemen were currently in Belarus for “psychological and medical assistance.”

TRT World added that Russia’s defence ministry said the exchange came after Zelenskyy urged Putin to agree to sit-down talks to end the four-year conflict, while also quoting Russia’s claim that “In exchange, 185 Ukrainian prisoners of war were handed over.”

Kyiv Post said all released Ukrainians were officially confirmed as prisoners of war through the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), and it quoted Ukraine’s Human Rights Ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets on the youngest and oldest returnees.

The prisoner swap was presented as part of a larger framework, with Kyiv Post saying the May 15 exchange released 205 Ukrainian prisoners of war and marked the first stage of a planned 1,000-for-1,000 exchange agreed during US-mediated negotiations.

“photo: Anadolu Agency Russia and Ukraine have carried out another large-scale prisoner exchange, with 370 servicemen returning home in one of the latest humanitarian agreements between the two sides”

Caspian Post

Kyiv Post also reported that 95% of those released in May had been captured in 2022, many during the defense of Mariupol and the Azovstal steel plant, and it said the exchange included multiple Ukrainian forces.

RaiNews, meanwhile, tied the push for talks to European allies, saying that at a Balkans summit in Montenegro, allies supported direct peace talks and that Macron looked to the Sunday meeting in London with Starmer, Merz and Zelensky to “fare il punto sul sostegno militare a Kiev”.

RaiNews also quoted Zelensky’s attempt to set terms, including: “La cessione del Donbass non è un'offerta sul tavolo”.

In the same RaiNews account, Ukraine’s navy said the drone attack in Costanza was “our” and “Deviato dai russi”, underscoring that battlefield and information pressures continue alongside the prisoner returns.