A freed Ukrainian prisoner of war (POW) reacts as he embraces his mother after a swap in an undisclosed location in Ukraine, June 14, 2025. (Photo: REUTERS/Maksym Kishka)

The exchanges are part of agreements reached during talks between the two sides in Istanbul earlier this month.

Ukraine earlier on Saturday confirmed it had received the bodies of its soldiers killed in action. The Russian defence ministry did not say how many POWs were involved in the swap with Ukraine on Saturday.

The Russian soldiers are in Belarus, where they are receiving medical treatment before transfer back to Russia, the defence ministry said.