Ukraine says 45 prisoners freed in new swap with Russia

Kyiv says 45 Ukrainian soldiers and civilians captured by Russia had been released in a new prisoner exchange, without saying how many Russians were released.

“Another prisoner exchange has taken place. Today, 45 of our men were freed from Russian captivity,” Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk says in a statement on Telegram.

Among those released were 13 military officers and 20 soldiers, as well as 12 civilians, she says.

There was no immediate confirmation from Moscow about the swap or how many Russian prisoners had been freed.

Many prisoner exchanges have taken place between Kyiv and Moscow since Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24.

Last week, 19 Ukrainians were freed just days after another exchange involving 76 people, Kyiv says.