Russia and Ukraine swap scores of POWs despite tensions over a plane crash last week

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Russia and Ukraine said they have exchanged about 200 prisoners of war, despite tensions stemming from last week’s crash of a military transport plane that Moscow claimed was carrying Ukrainian POWs and was shot down by Kyiv’s forces. After the Jan. 24 crash of the Il-76 plane in Russia’s Belgorod region near the border with Ukraine, some Russian officials had publicly questioned the possibility of future POW exchanges. Russia’s Defense Ministry said the countries exchanged 195 POWs each on Wednesday. After the statement was released, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said 207 Ukrainians were freed. There was no immediate explanation for the different figures.