Russia, Ukraine accuse each other of delaying prisoner swap

A large-scale prisoner exchange between Russia and Ukraine -- the only concrete outcome of peace talks -- was thrown into doubt Saturday after Moscow and Kyiv accused each other of delaying and thwarting the swap.

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The hold-up to an exchange that both sides said would take place this weekend came as Moscow’s army launched a barrage of missiles, drones and bombs across Ukraine overnight and throughout Saturday, killing at least 10 people and wounding dozens.

At talks in Istanbul on Monday, Kyiv and Moscow agreed to release all wounded soldiers and those aged under 25 who had been captured -- more than 1,000 people on each side.

Russia said it would also hand back the remains of 6,000 killed Ukrainian soldiers.

Moscow on Saturday accused Ukraine of not turning up to collect the bodies and not agreeing a date to swap the captured soldiers, while Kyiv said Russia was playing “dirty games” by not sticking to the agreed parameters for the exchange.

“The Ukrainian side has unexpectedly postponed for an indefinite period both the acceptance of the bodies and the exchange of prisoners of war,” Russia’s top negotiator Vladimir Medinsky said on social media.

A defense ministry spokesman said “the Ukrainian side is still refraining from setting a date” for the first stage of the prisoner swap.