Ukraine and Russia have agreed to conduct the largest prisoner and war dead exchange since the conflict began in February 2022.

Ukraine and Russia agreed at talks in Istanbul on Monday next week to give each other lists of people they want included in a planned prisoner of war swap, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said.

Ukraine and Russia agreed another large-scale prisoner exchange at talks in Istanbul, but failed to make a breakthrough on an immediate halt to the fighting.

Russia and Ukraine conducted the largest prisoner of war exchange of the war to date on Wednesday, with around 1,000 soldiers from each side swapped.

Russia and Ukraine began a major prisoner exchange, swapping hundreds of soldiers and civilians in the first phase of an exchange that was a moment of cooperation in otherwise failed efforts to reach a ceasefire in the 3-year-old war.

Russia and Ukraine began their largest exchange of prisoners of war on Friday, with each side returning 390 soldiers and civilians, according to both governments. More swaps were expected on Saturday and Sunday, as the two countries have committed to exchange 1,000 prisoners each.

Whether or not Moscow was deliberately trying to sow discontent in Ukraine, its failure to release political prisoners whose life is in danger and others illegally imprisoned for years was brutal