Dmytro Lubinets

Some are injured, most are very young, and all want to return home: the Russian soldiers captured during the surprise Ukrainian attack in Kursk now hope for a prisoner exchange.

Agence France-Presse managed to speak briefly with several of these prisoners of war at their detention site in the Sumy region of northern Ukraine, under the supervision of Ukrainian officers.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky reported on Wednesday that Ukrainian troops had pushed 1-2 kilometers further into Russia's Kursk region, where conflict has persisted for the past two weeks. Zelensky shared the update via Telegram, noting advancements in multiple areas and the capture of over 100 Russian prisoners of war.

Reports have surfaced indicating that Russian soldiers executed seven Ukrainian prisoners of war near Bakhmut, according to statements from Ukrainian authorities cited by DPA.

Questions remained Thursday over the military plane crash that Russia said had killed dozens of captured Ukrainian soldiers ahead of a planned prisoner exchange, with Moscow and Kiev trading accusations at the U.N. Security Council.

Russia has blamed Ukrainian forces for downing the IL-76 transport plane over the southern Belgorod region on Wednesday.

Kiev accused Russia on Saturday of committing a war crime by executing Ukrainian soldiers who had signalled their intention to surrender.

A short video posted on Telegram shows two men coming out of a shelter, one with his hands above his head, before lying on the ground in front of another group of soldiers.

Alamy Photo

The Turkish ombudsman Şeref Malkoç has asked his Russian and Ukrainian counterparts to convince their leadership for the establishment of a humanitarian corridor for the wounded soldiers as well as civilians strapped in the battlefield through the Turkish mediation, daily Hürriyet reported on Jan. 16.

Russia and Ukraine on Jan. 11 agreed a new prisoner swap during rare talks in Türkiye during which they also discussed the creation of a "humanitarian corridor" in the war zone.

Ukraine's human rights ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets met his Russian counterpart Tatyana Moskalkova on the sidelines of an international conference in Ankara attended by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.

Ukraine's human rights ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets said on Jan. 11 he had held a meeting in Türkiye with Russian counterpart Tatyana Moskalkova in rare talks between officials from the two countries since the start of Moscow's invasion.

Here are the highlights of events related to the war in Ukraine over the past 24 hours:

Biden warned Russia against using chemical or tactical nuclear weapons in Ukraine

US President Joe Biden warned Russia against using chemical or tactical nuclear weapons during the war in Ukraine.