Russia, Ukraine Complete Second Round of Prisoner Exchange

Ukrainian prisoners of war (POWs) react following a prisoner swap at an undisclosed location, Ukraine, 10 June 2025. (EPA)
Ukrainian prisoners of war (POWs) react following a prisoner swap at an undisclosed location, Ukraine, 10 June 2025. (EPA)
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Russia, Ukraine Complete Second Round of Prisoner Exchange

Ukrainian prisoners of war (POWs) react following a prisoner swap at an undisclosed location, Ukraine, 10 June 2025. (EPA)
Ukrainian prisoners of war (POWs) react following a prisoner swap at an undisclosed location, Ukraine, 10 June 2025. (EPA)

Russia and Ukraine said Tuesday they had exchanged captured soldiers, the second stage of an agreement struck at peace talks last week for each side to free more than 1,000 prisoners.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Tuesday's exchange saw "the return of our injured and severely wounded warriors from Russian captivity."

Neither side said how many soldiers had been freed in the swap -- the second in as many days following another exchange on Monday.

The two sides had agreed in Istanbul last week to release all wounded soldiers and all under the age of 25.

Russia's defense ministry said: "In accordance with the Russian-Ukrainian agreements reached on June 2 in Istanbul, the second group of Russian servicemen was returned."

Zelensky said further exchanges would follow.

"The exchanges are to continue. We are doing everything we can to find and return every single person who is in captivity."

The agreement had appeared in jeopardy over the weekend, with both sides trading accusations of attempting to thwart the exchange.

Russia says Ukraine has still not agreed to collect the bodies of killed soldiers, after Moscow said more than 1,200 corpses were waiting in refrigerated trucks near the border.

Russia said it had agreed to hand over the remains of 6,000 killed Ukrainian soldiers, while Kyiv said it would be an "exchange".

Moscow and Kyiv have carried out dozens of prisoner exchanges since Russia invaded in 2022, triggering Europe's largest conflict since World War II.



UN Watchdog Says No Damage to Iran Sites Housing Nuclear Material

A satellite image shows a closer view of the Natanz Nuclear Facility with new building damage, amid the US-Israeli conflict with Iran, near Natanz, Iran, March 2, 2026. (Vantor/Handout via Reuters)
A satellite image shows a closer view of the Natanz Nuclear Facility with new building damage, amid the US-Israeli conflict with Iran, near Natanz, Iran, March 2, 2026. (Vantor/Handout via Reuters)
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UN Watchdog Says No Damage to Iran Sites Housing Nuclear Material

A satellite image shows a closer view of the Natanz Nuclear Facility with new building damage, amid the US-Israeli conflict with Iran, near Natanz, Iran, March 2, 2026. (Vantor/Handout via Reuters)
A satellite image shows a closer view of the Natanz Nuclear Facility with new building damage, amid the US-Israeli conflict with Iran, near Natanz, Iran, March 2, 2026. (Vantor/Handout via Reuters)

The UN nuclear watchdog IAEA said Wednesday facilities housing nuclear material in Iran suffered no damage in the recent US-Israeli strikes and there was no risk of a radiation leak.

"Based on analysis of latest available satellite imagery, IAEA sees no damage to facilities containing nuclear material in Iran and therefore no radiological release risk at this time," the agency said on X.

Near the Natanz site near the central city of Isfahan, "damage is visible at two buildings" and there was "no additional impact detected" after "damage at entrances" reported on Tuesday, it said.

IAEA inspectors have had no access to the key Natanz site since it was targeted by bombings in June during the 12?day war triggered by an Israeli attack.

The IAEA reported "no impact at other nuclear sites, including Bushehr" in the southeast.

IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi repeated his call for "utmost restraint" in the conflict to avoid a radiation threat.


Iranian Govt Making Case for Demise with Indiscriminate Attacks, EU’s Kallas Says

European Union High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Kaja Kallas attends a press conference after an informal meeting of Council of the Baltic Sea States in Warsaw, Poland, 04 March 2026. (EPA)
European Union High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Kaja Kallas attends a press conference after an informal meeting of Council of the Baltic Sea States in Warsaw, Poland, 04 March 2026. (EPA)
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Iranian Govt Making Case for Demise with Indiscriminate Attacks, EU’s Kallas Says

European Union High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Kaja Kallas attends a press conference after an informal meeting of Council of the Baltic Sea States in Warsaw, Poland, 04 March 2026. (EPA)
European Union High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Kaja Kallas attends a press conference after an informal meeting of Council of the Baltic Sea States in Warsaw, Poland, 04 March 2026. (EPA)

Iran's government is making a strong case for its demise by indiscriminately attacking its neighbors, EU's top diplomat Kaja Kallas told reporters on Wednesday.

"Iran's strategy is to sow chaos and set the region on fire," ‌Kallas said.

Türkiye ‌said earlier on ‌Wednesday that ⁠NATO air defenses destroyed ⁠an Iranian ballistic missile headed into Turkish airspace.

Asked about the incident, Polish Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski said: "Iran is broadening the war ⁠to countries that did not ‌attack ‌it ... there is a well-known ‌saying it's worse than ‌a crime, it's a mistake."

Kallas said the war in the Middle East is diverting attention from ‌Ukraine, but it was important not to let ⁠the ⁠war in Ukraine recede into the background.

She added that the conflict in Iran has cost Russia an ally, but cautioned that Russia could benefit from a spike in oil prices stemming from the crisis.


Israel Initially Planned to Strike Iran in Mid-2026, Reveals Minister

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz makes statements with his Greek counterpart Nikos Dendias after their meeting in Athens, Greece, Tuesday, Jan. 20, 2026. (AP)
Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz makes statements with his Greek counterpart Nikos Dendias after their meeting in Athens, Greece, Tuesday, Jan. 20, 2026. (AP)
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Israel Initially Planned to Strike Iran in Mid-2026, Reveals Minister

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz makes statements with his Greek counterpart Nikos Dendias after their meeting in Athens, Greece, Tuesday, Jan. 20, 2026. (AP)
Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz makes statements with his Greek counterpart Nikos Dendias after their meeting in Athens, Greece, Tuesday, Jan. 20, 2026. (AP)

Israel had initially planned to strike Iran in mid-2026, but developments inside the country and shifting regional dynamics brought the timetable forward to February, Defense Minister Israel Katz said on Wednesday.

"An operation was planned for the middle of the year with the same target set," Katz said in an address to military intelligence officials, according to a statement issued by his office.

"But due to developments and circumstances -- mainly what happened inside Iran, the position of the US president and the possibility of creating a combined operation -- it became necessary to move everything up to February."

During mass anti-government protests in Iran in January, which were suppressed in a violent crackdown by security forces, Trump pledged support for demonstrators, declaring that the United States stood with the people of Iran.

Top Israeli officials, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, made similar remarks, urging Iranians to rise up against the country's clerical leadership.

The United States and Israel jointly launched strikes on Iran on Saturday, and in the initial wave of attacks, they killed supreme leader Ali Khamenei.

Iran retaliated swiftly with missile fire targeting Israel and also launched strikes against several countries in the region, saying it was aiming at US assets.

Iran's official IRNA news agency said Wednesday that US-Israeli strikes had killed 1,045 military personnel and civilians since the start of the war. AFP was not in a position to independently verify the toll.

Iranian strikes on Israel have killed 10 people and injured scores more, according to Israeli authorities.