Russia and Ukraine confirmed a new prisoner swap on Friday, following agreements made during last month’s talks in Istanbul.
Since the start of Russia’s invasion over three years ago, the two sides have regularly exchanged prisoners of war. The recent Istanbul negotiations resulted in a deal to release all severely wounded, ill, and captive soldiers under 25 years old.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky shared images of freed Ukrainian servicemen draped in the national blue and yellow flag.
“Our people have returned home. Most were held captive by Russia since 2022,” Zelensky posted on social media.
He noted the released included members from the army, national guard, border service, transport units, as well as civilians, though he did not disclose the exact number of prisoners freed.
“Our objective remains to secure the release of all Ukrainians held by Russia,” Zelensky added.
The Russian defence ministry also confirmed the exchange, stating that Kyiv transferred a group of servicemen currently in Belarus, a Moscow ally. The number of exchanged prisoners was not revealed.
It is estimated that Russia holds thousands of Ukrainian captives, many captured during the early phases of the conflict when Russian forces advanced deeply into Ukrainian territory. Ukraine, meanwhile, holds a smaller but significant number of Russian prisoners.
