Russia Ukraine war: prisoner exchange agreed - new law
During their negotiations in Turkey, Russia and Ukraine agreed on a further prisoner exchange - meanwhile attacks by both sides continued unabated at night. Russia reported casualties, Ukraine air strikes on several areas.
24.07.2025, 05:50
SDA
Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced a new law on the functioning of anti-corruption bodies. On Wednesday, thousands of Ukrainians once again demonstrated in the capital Kiev and many other large cities to demand the withdrawal of the anti-corruption legislation that recently came into force. The demonstrators fear for the independence of corruption investigators in the country.
Talks in Turkey: prisoner exchange - no ceasefire
1,200 prisoners from both sides are to be handed over, as the Russian chief negotiator Vladimir Medinsky told journalists in Istanbul after the talks. According to him, the exchange of seriously injured people along the front in the Ukraine war, which has been going on for more than three years, is also to continue. Kiev confirmed the planned continuation of the exchanges, but did not give any concrete figures. Medinski went on to say that Russia had also offered to return 3,000 more Ukrainian casualties.
The talks on Wednesday evening began almost an hour and a half late. The two chief negotiators had previously met for a brief one-on-one meeting. The discussion in a large group lasted just 40 minutes. Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said before the start of the negotiations that the ultimate goal was a ceasefire that would pave the way to peace. However, a breakthrough in this third round of negotiations was already considered unlikely.
Previously agreed exchange underway
In the evening, it was announced that the last exchange of prisoners, which had been agreed during negotiations in June, had been completed. "The Russian soldiers are currently on the territory of the Republic of Belarus," the Ministry of Defense in Moscow announced on Telegram. According to Medinski, 250 prisoners of war were exchanged in each case. The total number of prisoners exchanged amounted to a good 2,400.
A little later, Selensky confirmed the current exchange. "The ninth round of exchanges agreed in Istanbul took place today," he wrote on Telegram. More than 1,000 Ukrainians had been returned by the Russians.
New anti-corruption law to come
With regard to the newly announced anti-corruption law, Zelensky promised in his video message published in the evening that it would be the answer to all of the protesters' concerns and guarantee the independence of the authorities in the fight against corruption. He once again accused the institutions of "Russian influence". The new law would prevent this. However, Selensky did not provide any details.
Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko also campaigned for the upcoming amendment at a meeting with the ambassadors of the G7 countries. "The government of Ukraine is committed to zero tolerance of corruption," the head of government wrote on Telegram. The new law will eliminate all existing inconsistencies and strengthen the independence of the anti-corruption infrastructure.
Protests do not stop
According to media reports, at least 1,500 people gathered again on Wednesday in the capital Kiev alone, within earshot of the presidential residence and despite martial law being in force. Demonstrations also took place in over a dozen other major cities such as Lviv, Kharkiv and Odessa. The number of participants was significantly higher than the previous day, when the first spontaneous gatherings had taken place.
The day before, the parliament in Kiev had passed legislation in a rush to place the National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU), which was created in 2015, and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office (SAP) largely under the authority of the General Prosecutor's Office. Thousands of mainly young people spontaneously protested against the amendment in several major cities and demanded a presidential veto. He signed the law on Tuesday evening and it came into force immediately after publication.
Attacks continue - Russia reports fatalities
According to Russian reports, a woman was killed in a night-time Ukrainian drone attack in Russia in the seaside resort of Sochi on the Black Sea. The civilian was killed by falling debris, the state news agency Tass reported, citing the regional crisis center. Another woman was seriously injured, it said.
Tass also reported the death of a civilian in the Russian-occupied Donetsk region in eastern Ukraine. The civilian was killed in a Ukrainian attack on a residential area in Horlivka, it said, citing the Russian occupation administration.
The account could not be independently verified. There was initially no information from the Ukrainian side.
Late in the evening, Tass reported the shooting down of more than 20 drones over the Black and Azov Seas and over Krasnodar in the south of the country, citing the Russian Ministry of Defense.
Attacks on Ukraine again
According to media reports, the recently intensified, massive Russian attacks on Ukraine continued unabated. The Ukrainian news agency RBK-Ukraine reported night-time drone attacks on the port city of Odessa and the southern city of Mykolaiv, citing official sources. According to Governor Oleh Kiper, sights in Odessa's old town, which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, were damaged. According to RBK-Ukraine, the central Ukrainian city of Cherkasy was also the target of airstrikes.
Ukraine has been defending itself against a Russian invasion for more than three years with Western help. As part of its defensive campaign, it has also repeatedly attacked targets in Russia. The damage and casualties are disproportionate to the devastating consequences of the Russian war of aggression on the Ukrainian side.
