Ukraine and Russia exchanged 300 service personnel each on Friday as part of a two-day prisoner swap, with several of those released having been held in captivity since the early stages of the war in 2022.
The exchange marks the second prisoner-of-war swap between the two sides this year and comes shortly after recent peace discussions mediated by the United States. On the first day of the swap on Thursday, Kyiv and Moscow each released 200 prisoners of war.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said many of the soldiers freed had been captured while defending key battlefronts across Ukraine.
“They defended Ukraine in various sectors—Donetsk, Luhansk, Kharkiv, Zaporizhzhia, Kherson, and in Mariupol,” Zelenskyy wrote on Telegram, noting that most of those returned had spent more than a year in captivity.
He also confirmed that two Ukrainian civilians were among those brought back home during Friday’s exchange.
Russia’s Defence Ministry said the swap was mediated by the United States and the United Arab Emirates, highlighting the role of international partners in facilitating humanitarian arrangements between the warring sides.
Footage released by Zelenskyy showed dozens of Ukrainian servicemen stepping off large white buses, smiling and waving as they were welcomed by border guards. In one emotional moment captured on video, a returning soldier speaking on a mobile phone reassured loved ones about his condition.
“I am alive and healthy. It is all good. I do not have teeth,” he said, drawing attention to the hardships endured during captivity.
The previous prisoner exchange took place in early February following peace talks held in Abu Dhabi. Kyiv had hoped a new round of negotiations aimed at ending the war would take place at the beginning of March. However, the talks were postponed after escalating tensions in the Middle East, including military strikes by the United States and Israel on Iran and retaliatory missile launches by Tehran toward Israel and several Gulf locations hosting American military facilities.
Zelenskyy said earlier this week that Ukraine is awaiting a new date for the next round of negotiations from Washington.
Despite ongoing hostilities, prisoner exchanges have remained one of the few areas of cooperation between Kyiv and Moscow since the war began, providing rare moments of relief for families on both sides of the conflict.
Melissa Enoch
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