Ukraine and Russia have conducted their biggest prisoner exchange since the Russian invasion began in 2022, each side releasing 390 people 270 servicemen and 120 civilians along the Ukrainian border with Belarus.
The exchange follows a rare in-person negotiation held in Istanbul a week ago, marking the only direct talks between the two sides since March 2022. Both countries confirmed plans for more exchanges in the coming days.
The Ukrainian prisoners included individuals captured in key battlegrounds across the country such as Kyiv, Chernihiv, Sumy, Donetsk, Kharkiv and Kherson. Some had been in captivity since the early months of the war. Three of those released were women, and images released by both governments showed visibly relieved detainees reuniting with officials and families. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky shared the news on social media, saying, “We are bringing our people home,” while emphasizing that each name and case was being carefully verified.
Russia’s defence ministry said the returnees included soldiers and civilians detained during recent Ukrainian incursions into Russia’s border areas, particularly the Kursk region. The repatriated Russians were first taken into Belarus before being transferred back to Russian territory for medical checks.
Families of Ukrainian prisoners gathered in northern Ukraine, clinging to hope. Natalia, whose son had been missing since the 2022 battle for Severodonetsk, said she still believed he would return. Another mother, Olha, said her son Valerii and five others were captured two months ago in Luhansk and had not been heard from since.
Former US President Donald Trump posted congratulations on the swap on his Truth Social platform, suggesting that it “could lead to something big???” Earlier this week, he claimed Russia and Ukraine would soon start negotiating a ceasefire, following a reported phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Despite the historic scale of the exchange, tensions remain high. Zelensky has accused Putin of using diplomatic gestures to buy time to prolong the war. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov confirmed that a second round of talks was expected and hinted at the delivery of a Russian “memorandum” to Ukrainian officials. However, he also cast doubt on any near-term resolution, repeating claims that Zelensky lacked legitimacy and that new elections would be needed before any peace agreement could be signed.
While some, including Italy’s Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, have supported Trump’s suggestion of Vatican-led mediation, Lavrov dismissed the idea as “not a very realistic option.” He said Russia’s priority was to craft a long-term peace agreement that would not threaten its own security, but remained vague on what such a deal would entail or when it might happen.
