Russia and Ukraine began a major prisoner exchange Friday, swapping hundreds of soldiers and civilians in the first phase of an exchange that was a moment of cooperation in otherwise failed

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.

For three years, two months and 19 days, Ellia Derektorenko waited in agony for any word from her husband, Andrii, a captured Ukrainian soldier. She received only one letter, in 2022, confirming that he was alive and in a Russian prison.