Kiev and Moscow have agreed to renew the prisoner exchange agreed in Istanbul, the Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine Rustem Umerov announced, quoted by DPA.
"On behalf of the President of Ukraine and with the mediation of partners from Turkey and the United Arab Emirates, I recently held consultations on resuming the process of exchange and release of our people from Russian captivity," Umerov wrote on "Telegram".
He indicated that as a result of these talks, Ukraine and Russia agreed to activate the agreements from Istanbul. "We are talking about the release of 1,200 Ukrainians," Umerov noted. According to him, all the details of the prisoner exchange will be clarified in the near future.
Umerov headed the Ukrainian delegation that participated in negotiations with Russia earlier this year. The most important result of the meetings in May and June was the agreement on the exchange of prisoners of war, and the arrangements were implemented for several months, but the process was subsequently suspended.
This week, Umerov visited Istanbul and Doha to try to "unblock" prisoner exchange.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced that changes are coming to the top of the country's most important energy companies, which have been rocked by a major corruption scandal, DPA reported.
"Along with a thorough financial audit, we must also begin to renew the management of these companies," the Ukrainian leader wrote on "Telegram". He noted that he had coordinated the next steps with Prime Minister Yulia Sviridenko.
The conditions for the formation of a new supervisory board in the state nuclear company "Energoatom" must be met within a week, Zelensky stressed. He added that the company's executive board will also be completely replaced. There will also be changes in the management of the state-owned hydroelectric power plant operator "Ukrhydroenergo", the operator of the gas pipeline system in Ukraine, and the state-owned energy giant "Naftogaz", Zelensky listed.
"Energoatom" is at the center of the largest corruption scandal in Ukraine since the beginning of the Russian invasion in February 2022. The National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office announced that they are investigating a major corruption scheme related to "Energoatom", through which nearly $100 million was laundered. The probes focus on huge bribes allegedly paid to build defensive structures designed to shield energy facilities from Russian airstrikes.
Two ministers resigned after the scandal broke, and two suspects, including one of Zelensky's close associates, fled abroad.