In what is claimed as the largest exchange of prisoners between Russia and Ukraine since Moscow started the invasion three years back, a temporary ceasefire was declared on Saturday. Authorities said that this was temporary and was done on humanitarian grounds by Russia.
In a meeting with Chief of the General Staff Valery Gerasimov, Putin said that the action by Russia must be respected by the enemy, who must follow the precedent. He further said that though the ceasefire will be in place from Saturday, the authorities will be ready for any kind of aggression from Ukraine. While Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, called this another move by Russia to play with the lives of the people.
In a post on X, the Ukrainian president said that while there are alarms of drone attacks across Ukraine, the president is claiming that he cares for human life and Easter celebrations. “Shahed drones in our skies reveal Putin’s true attitude toward Easter and toward human life.” Zelenskyy wrote on X.
Andrii Sybiha, the Ukrainian foreign minister, also shared a post saying that the country had already decided to extend a 30-day ceasefire in March, along with the US. But then Kremlin rejected the decision, while now the president is talking about imposing a 30-hour ceasefire. Criticising that the actions of Putin never match his words.
Talking about the exchange of POWS on Saturday, it was the largest to date. Russian authorities claim that 246 personnel have been sent from territories under Kyiv’s control. Zelenskyy also reported that 277 “warriors” were sent home. Along with this, 15 wounded Ukrainian soldiers were sent to Ukraine in exchange for 30 wounded Russian soldiers who needed urgent medical care.
The talks were mediated by the UAE, and both parties have thanked the Middle-Eastern nation for its help. The ceasefire is announced after Trump announced that negotiations between Ukraine and Russia are wrapping up to end the three-year-long war. The Russian Defence Ministry also reported that Russia has retained Kursk, and sent Ukrainian troops back from Oleshnya, apparently the last village in Kursk which was under Ukraine’s control after it began an unprecedented incursion last year.
Russia claimed that 99.5 per cent of Kursk had been freed, while Zelenskyy posted that Ukrainian troops have maintained their positions in Kursk, leading to a clash of words between the two countries.
