Editor’s note: This is a developing story and is being updated.

Ukraine has brought back home 185 soldiers and 20 civilians held in Russian captivity in the latest exchange with Moscow, President Volodymyr Zelensky announced on Oct. 2.

Russia’s Defense Ministry also reported releasing 185 Ukrainian prisoners of war (POW) in exchange for 185 Russian soldiers, adding that “20 civilians were also released.”

The news follows a series of other swaps carried out in recent months, in accordance with the Russian-Ukrainian peace talks held in Istanbul between May and July.

The previous exchange took place on Aug. 24, Ukraine’s Independence Day.

Russia and Ukraine have repeatedly exchanged captives during the full-scale war, with the recent major swaps seen as the only tangible results of the Istanbul peace talks.

Over 2,500 Ukrainian POWs remain in Russian captivity, Ukraine’s Interior Ministry said on Sept. 5.

Russia has been accused of violating international law, including the Geneva Conventions, by the abuse and torture of Ukrainian POWs and captive civilians. The Prosecutor General’s Office reported in July that at least 273 POWs have been executed by Russia while in captivity.

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