Russia and Ukraine have exchanged 115 prisoners of war each as Kyiv yesterday marked its third Independence Day since the invasion.

Volodymyr Zelensky, in comments to mark 33 years of its post-Soviet era, mocked Vladimir Putin as the ‘sick old man from Red Square’.

He confirmed the prisoner swap on social media, saying: ‘Another 115 of our defenders have returned home today. These are warriors of the National Guard, the Armed Forces, the Navy and the State Border Guard Service.’

The Russian defence ministry said its 115 freed servicemen had been captured during Ukraine’s attack in the Kursk region. The swap was the first since Ukraine launched its offensive in the region over the Russian border.

A Ukrainian prisoner of war (POW) reacts after a swap, amid Russia’s attack on Ukraine

The Russian defence ministry said its 115 freed servicemen had been captured during Ukraine’s attack in the Kursk region

The swap was the first since Ukraine launched its offensive in the region over the Russian border

Zelensky confirmed the prisoner swap on social media, saying: ‘Another 115 of our defenders have returned home today’

A Ukrainian prisoner of war lies on the ground after being released from captivity in Russia

Mr Zelensky also hailed a new Ukrainian ‘drone missile’ that he said would strike hard against Russia. The weapon, Palianytsia, was faster and more powerful than any Kyiv has so far used to strike Putin oil refineries and airfields, he said.’This is our new method of retaliation against the aggressor,’ he added.

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

‘I want to stress once more that our new weapon decisions, including Palianytsia, is our realistic way to act while some of our partners are unfortunately delaying decisions,’ he said.

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