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Ukraine live briefing: Over 170 freed in prisoner swap; new U.S.-made bombs will double Ukraine’s reach
Russia and Ukraine announced the release of nearly 180 troops in a prisoner swap on Saturday, the latest in a series of exchanges that have become a rare intersection of interests for the two countries.
Here’s the latest on the war and its impact across the globe.
1. Key developments
- Russia’s Defense Ministry announced the return of 63 prisoners of war from Ukraine on Saturday, describing the negotiation process for their release as complex. The group that returned includes people of a “sensitive category” whose exchange was made possible with mediation by the United Arab Emirates, the ministry said.
- Ukraine secured the released of 116 of its forces in the swap, said Andriy Yermak, head of the Ukrainian presidential administration. They include fighters from the port city of Mariupol and snipers from the Bakhmut region gripped by fighting, he said Saturday. “We will continue to work. We will bring everyone back,” he wrote on Telegram, adding that Ukraine had also returned the bodies of two foreign volunteers — Christopher Matthew Perry and Andrew Tobias Matthew Bagshaw. Britons Perry and Bagshaw were killed in eastern Ukraine in January while attempting a humanitarian evacuation, their families said.
- The small diameter bombs promised by the U.S. have an approximate range of 95 miles, nearly twice the capability previously provided by the United States. However, the munitions are part of a package drawn from the U.S. defense industry, not existing military stockpiles, so it could take months for the ammunition to arrive on the battlefield, according to U.S. officials. Washington has until now refused to supply such weapons for fear that Ukrainian forces will use them to strike inside Russia.
- A “significant” accident at an electricity substation in Odessa led to power outages on Saturday in southern region on the Black Sea, Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said. He described it as a technical accident and said it was “impossible to quickly restore power supply.” The cause was not immediately clear, although the local substations had been repeatedly damaged from Russian attacks, he said.
- Pete Reed, a U.S. Marine Corps veteran and medical volunteer, was killed in an explosion in Bakhmut, according to his wife and Global Outreach Doctors, where he served as country director for Ukraine. The organization, which works in areas facing famine and violence, said 33-year-old Reed had joined the team last month. “Pete was a beacon of humanitarian work — an incredible visionary, leader, compassionate care provider, and an inspiration to us all,” it said. “He was just such a special person,” his wife, Alex Potter, said in an interview. “Everything he did in life was to help other people.”
2. Global impact
- Germany has collected evidence to prosecute possible war crimes in Ukraine, German media reported Saturday, citing the country’s prosecutor general. He said in a newspaper interview that there was a need for a judicial process at international level and that Germany began collecting evidence in March, including by interviewing Ukrainian refugees. Prosecutors had pieces of evidence in the “three-digit range,” he added, without giving further details.
- Portugal said it plans to send Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine, joining other European countries who have pledged to send the German-made tanks to the battlefield. Portuguese Prime Minister António Costa told the Lusa news agency Saturday that his country was working on dispatching the tanks but did not specify how many.
- The United States will transfer seized assets of Russian oligarchs worth $5.4 million to Ukraine for rebuilding efforts, Andriy Kostin, Ukraine’s prosecutor general, said Friday at a televised meeting.
- Western countries announced new caps on Russian oil products in the latest bid to limit revenue financing the war in Ukraine. High-value Russian diesel and gas will be capped at $100 per barrel and low-value products such as fuel oil at $45, Britain said in a statement.
3. From our correspondents
Zelensky urges E.U. to send weapons faster as Russians close grip on Bakhmut: The potential loss of the eastern city of Bakhmut cast a shadow over the summit in Kyiv where E.U. officials offered solidarity but no promises of membership, David L. Stern reports.
Russian fighters have besieged the embattled city in the Donetsk region for months. “No one will hand over Bakhmut,” Zelensky told a news conference at the of the meeting with E.U. leaders.
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