230 Prisoners of War freed in swap deal between Russia and Ukraine as Volodymyr Zelensky mocks Putin as the ‘sick old man from Red Square’ in speech marking third Independence Day since invasion

Russia and Ukraine each exchanged 115 prisoners of war, while Kiev yesterday celebrated its third Independence Day since the invasion.

Volodymyr Zelensky mocked Vladimir Putin in his remarks marking the 33rd anniversary of the post-Soviet era, calling him “the sick old man from Red Square.”

He confirmed the prisoner swap on social media, saying: “Another 115 of our defenders returned home today. These are fighters from the National Guard, the Armed Forces, the Navy and the State Border Guard Service.”

The Russian Defense Ministry said its 115 freed servicemen were captured during the Ukrainian offensive in the Kursk region. The exchange was the first since Ukraine launched its offensive in the region across the Russian border.

Mr. Zelensky also praised a new Ukrainian “drone missile” that he said would strike hard against Russia. The weapon, Palianytsia, was faster and more powerful than anything Kiev has used to attack Putin’s oil refineries and airports, he said. “This is our new method of retaliation against the aggressor,” he added.

He said the new class of weapons had already been used successfully, but did not say where. He described Russia’s 71-year-old president and Moscow’s nuclear rhetoric, saying that “a sick old man from Red Square who constantly threatens everyone with the red button will not impose any of his red lines on us.” Mr. Zelensky has pressured allies to allow him to use Western weapons deeper into Russian territory.

“I would like to emphasize once again that our new weapons decisions, including Palianytsia, are our realistic course of action, while some of our partners are unfortunately postponing their decisions,” he said.

Ukrainians say the word Palianytsia is too difficult for Russians to pronounce. It has been used as a password to keep soldiers apart.