Russia and Ukraine swap hundreds of prisoners of war

Russia and Ukraine each swapped 175 prisoners of war on Wednesday in one of the largest exchanges since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine three years ago.

The released servicemen were captured in multiple regions, including Mariupol, the Azovstal steel plant, Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson, Kharkiv, Mykolaiv, Zaporizhzhia, Sumy, and even Kursk.

After prisoners were released at the northern border of the two countries, they were then taken to a hospital in Ukraine’s Chernihiv, where family members awaited their arrival.

“All of them will immediately receive the necessary medical and psychological assistance,’ Zelenskyy said in a post on social media platform X.

The Ukrainian leader expressed his gratitude towards the prisoners of war, as well as to the partners who faciliated the release.

“We are also grateful to all our partners, especially the United Arab Emirates, for making today’s exchange possible,” he said.

On Wednesday, Russia released an additional 22 severely wounded captives, in what they said was a “goodwill gesture”. Zelenskyy said they were returned through a different negotiation process “beyond exchanges.”

The Ukrainian leader said releasing all prisoners of war and captured civilians would be a crucial step toward peace and could build trust between the two countries. He has repeatedly called for an “all-for-all’ prisoner exchange.

The exchange comes after US President Donald Trump arranged phone calls with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Zelenskyy to discuss ceasefire conditions. The two leaders agreed to a limited ceasefire, of which discussions are still going.