Russia has returned 270 servicemen and 120 civilians from Ukrainian captivity.

As part of the Russian-Ukrainian agreements, 270 Russian military personnel and 120 civilians were returned from the territory controlled by the Kiev regime. This was announced by the Russian Defense Ministry on May 23.

"In accordance with the Russian-Ukrainian agreements reached <...> in Istanbul, 270 Russian servicemen, as well as 120 civilians, have been returned from the territory controlled by the Kiev regime," the statement said.

The ministry clarified that among the returned prisoners there are civilians captured by the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU). in the Kursk region.

According to the Ministry of Defense, 270 prisoners of war of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and 120 civilians were transferred in return.

Currently, Russian military personnel and civilians are on the territory of Belarus, where they are receiving the necessary psychological and medical assistance.

"The large—scale exchange initiated by the Russian side is planned to continue in the coming days," the Defense Ministry added.

Step at the meeting: the results of the first negotiations between Russia and Ukraine in three years

The first round of contacts took place in Istanbul — what's next

The Russian Federation and Ukraine agreed on a large-scale exchange of prisoners of war according to the "1000 for 1000" formula at talks in Istanbul on May 16.

On May 22, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that Russia had sent Ukraine a list for the prisoner exchange. Later that day, the Ukrainian side sent its own exchange list.