The trade in the allegations is taking place amid expanding military action on both sides and raising concerns over the prospects for new peace talks, analysts noted, Xinhua reported.
In a telegram post, Russian presidential aide Vladimir Medinsky said Ukraine had postponed planned exchanges of prisoners and the delivery of the bodies of fallen soldiers.
Medinsky added that Russia handed over the first list of 640 prisoners to Ukraine and began relocating the bodies of the dead Ukrainian soldiers, but Ukrainian negotiators did not arrive at the exchange site.
Ukrainian coordination headquarters for the treatment of Ukrainian prisoners said in a telegram that the Russian statement “does not correspond to real life or previous agreements regarding the exchange of prisoners or the repatriation of bodies.”
The date for the swap has not been agreed and noted that Russia accused of using “sensitive humanitarian topics for informational purposes.”
According to Medinsky, in the final round of discussions in Istanbul on Monday, both sides agreed to a “all” exchange, including seriously injured prisoners and soldiers under the age of 25.
Russia estimates suggested that the proposed exchange involves up to 1,200 individuals on each side, marking the largest such manipulation since the conflict began. Ukrainian President Voldimi Zelensky said on Wednesday that prisoner exchanges based on the “500-500” ceremony will take place this weekend.
Both the Russian and Ukrainian troops continue to carry out strikes amid a deadlocked exchange effort. The Russian Ministry of Defense said on Saturday that the military carried out a group strike using long-range precision weapons and drones against Ukrainian targets following six similar attacks last week.
The Ukrainian forces said they had taken strikes on the night of June 5-6 at two Russian air bases in the Saratov and Riazan regions of Russia, along with attacks on other major military facilities.
The rise in hostilities follows a series of Ukrainian drone and missile strikes on Russian territory in recent weeks.
The Ukrainian drone attacked several Russian airfields on June 1, just a day before the latest direct negotiations in Istanbul, causing damage to Russian aircraft. On Tuesday, Ukraine began its third strike at Crimean Bridge since the escalation of the conflict. On Thursday, Ukrainian forces carried out a precision missile strike in the area of Russian missile forces in the Briance region.
Russia is also stepping up its long-range missile strike. Between May 20 and 26, Russian troops took strikes in several Ukrainian regions, targeting air defense systems, military warehouses and communications facilities.
MNA