Russia and Ukraine both claimed to hit each other's key military targets on Friday, including military enterprises, energy infrastructure and command posts, as the conflict between them continues.
The Russian defense ministry on Friday said that in the past week, Russian forces gained control of six settlements and targeted Ukrainian military industrial facilities, energy infrastructure, and air defense radar stations.
Russian air defense units intercepted and shot down Ukrainian aerial bombs, HIMARS rockets, and over 1,000 fixed-wing drones.
On the same day, the General Staff of Ukraine's Armed Forces reported that more than 170 battles took place in the frontline areas over the past day.
The Ukrainian forces targeted Russian command posts, as well as missile and artillery facilities, according to the report.
Russia and Ukraine carried out another prisoner swap on Friday, said the Russian defense ministry.
In accordance with the Russian-Ukrainian agreements reached on June 2 in Istanbul, a group of Russian military personnel was returned from the territory controlled by Ukraine on June 20, the ministry said, not giving the number of released prisoners.
In return, a group of prisoners of war of the Armed Forces of Ukraine was transferred, it added.
All Russian military personnel will be transported to Russia for treatment and rehabilitation in medical institutions of the Russian defense ministry, it added.
Ukraine's Coordinating Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War said that the returned captives include sergeants and soldiers from the Ukrainian Navy, Land Forces, Territorial Defense, Airborne Forces and other units.
All released servicemen will receive medical examination, treatment and rehabilitation at medical facilities, the headquarters said.
During their latest round of talks in Türkiye's Istanbul, Russia and Ukraine agreed on an "all-for-all" exchange involving seriously ill and wounded prisoners, as well as soldiers under the age of 25.
Russia, Ukraine continue to exchange attacks
Iran's official news agency IRNA said on Sunday the country has rejected taking part in the second round of the peace talks with the United States, after U.S. President Donald Trump said new negotiations would take place in Pakistan on Monday evening.
"My Representatives are going to Islamabad, Pakistan -- They will be there tomorrow evening, for Negotiations," Trump wrote in his Truth Social post on Sunday.
Trump also said that the U.S. has offered a "fair and reasonable" deal, and if Iran reject the deal, the U.S. will "knock out every single Power Plant, and every single Bridge, in Iran."
Iran's absence from the second round of talks "stems from what it called Washington's excessive demands, unrealistic expectations, constant shifts in stance, repeated contradictions, and the ongoing naval blockade, which it considers a breach of the ceasefire," IRNA said in a post on its English account on social media platform X.
In another report published in Farsi, IRNA said reports released about the second round of peace talks between Tehran and Washington in Islamabad are "not true."
It described the reports released by the United States as part of a "media game and in line with the blame game" to pressure Iran, stressing that the U.S. "excessive, illogical and unrealistic demands, frequent changing of positions, constant contradictory remarks, continuation of the so-called naval blockade" have so far prevented the negotiations' progress.
IRNA added under the present circumstances, there is "no bright prospect" for fruitful negotiations.
On Feb. 28, Israel and the United States launched joint attacks on Tehran and several other Iranian cities, killing Iran's then Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, along with senior military commanders and civilians. Iran responded by launching waves of missile and drone strikes targeting Israel and U.S. bases and assets in the Middle East, and exercising tight control over the Strait of Hormuz.
A ceasefire was achieved between the warring parties on April 8, which was followed by lengthy talks between the Iranian and U.S. delegations in Pakistan's capital Islamabad on April 11 and 12. After the peace negotiations in Islamabad collapsed, the United States imposed its own blockade on the waterway.
The Iranian and U.S. delegations were reportedly expected to hold another round of peace talks in Pakistan soon.
Trump affirms new round of talks in Pakistan while Iran rejects
