Russia and Ukraine have exchanged prisoners of war (POWs) under 25 years old, the Russian Ministry of Defense (MoD) informs. The first group of Russian servicemen under 25 years old were returned from Ukraine on Monday and are now in Belarus.

“A similar number of prisoners of war from the Ukrainian armed forces were transferred during the exchange,” the Russian MoD statement added.

But the exact number of POWs released by both sides was not specified.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has confirmed the start of the exchange of these POWs, which, according to him, will be held in several phases in the coming days.

“The categories of those being returned now include the wounded and severely wounded, as well as those under 25 years old. The process is quite complicated, there are many sensitive details, negotiations are being held almost every day,” Zelenskyy wrote on Telegram.