Russia, Ukraine Conduct Largest Prisoner Exchange This Year
Russia and Ukraine successfully exchanged 150 prisoners of war (PoWs) each on Wednesday, marking the largest prisoner swap of the year. The exchange was mediated by the United Arab Emirates (UAE), which has played a crucial role in several such negotiations.
Russia’s Defense Ministry confirmed the exchange on its Telegram channel, announcing that 150 Russian prisoners returned from Ukrainian captivity. According to the ministry, the freed Russian soldiers underwent medical examinations in Belarus before preparing for their return home.
“Currently, all Russian servicemen are in the territory of the Republic of Belarus, where they are receiving the necessary psychological and medical assistance as well as the opportunity to contact their relatives,” the ministry stated.
Following their return, the released servicemen will be sent to medical institutions under the Russian Defense Ministry for further treatment and rehabilitation, the ministry added.
The freed Ukrainian prisoners include those who have been in captivity for two years, Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky said.
“Today is a good day for all of us. We are bringing home 150 of our defenders from Russian captivity – soldiers, sergeants, and officers,” he wrote on his official Telegram channel.
According to Zelensky, those released include members of various military branches, such as the Naval Forces, Air Force, Airborne and Ground Forces, National Guard, Border Guard, and Territorial Defense, along with a police officer. Many of them were captured in Mariupol and the Zaporizhzhia region.
“They come from different parts of the front, but they are united by one thing: they fought for Ukraine,” Zelensky said.
Ukraine has reiterated its commitment to securing the release of all remaining captives.
“We are working to bring everyone home,” the Ukrainian leader affirmed.
The UAE played a pivotal role in brokering the exchange, demonstrating its influence in humanitarian negotiations. Both Kyiv and Moscow acknowledged the UAE’s mediation efforts, which have helped facilitate several prisoner exchanges since the beginning of the war.
This was the second prisoner exchange of the year between Russia and Ukraine. The first took place on January 15, when both sides exchanged 25 prisoners each at the Belarusian border.
Both nations have occasionally agreed to similar exchanges, even as their conflict remains intense.
The full-scale war between Russia and Ukraine began in 2022 when Russian troops entered Ukraine, citing the protection of people in self-proclaimed separatist-controlled regions of Ukraine allegedly under attack by the Ukrainian military.
The Russian offensive targeted northern, eastern, and southern regions of Ukraine, attempting to weaken the defense lines of the Ukrainian army. However, Russia’s blitzkrieg tactics faced resilient resistance from Ukraine’s military and civilians, thwarting Moscow's initial objectives. Currently, Russia controls nearly a fifth of Ukrainian territory.
The armed conflict dates back to the 2014 crisis in Ukraine’s southern and eastern regions, with Ukraine accusing Russia of annexing Crimea and supporting separatist movements in Donetsk and Luhansk.
In earlier estimates, Russian President Vladimir Putin stated that over 1,300 Russian troops were held captive in Ukraine, while there were more than 6,400 captured Ukrainian soldiers in Russia. The latest exchange signals ongoing efforts to address this humanitarian aspect of the war, though much work remains to be done.