Russia and Ukraine on Thursday carried out another large-scale prisoner exchange, each releasing 84 detainees, in what has become one of the few ongoing forms of cooperation since the war began.
The exchange — facilitated by the United Arab Emirates — took place just one day before Russian President Vladimir Putin and U.S. President Donald Trump are set to meet in Alaska for high-stakes talks.
Among those returning home was 29-year-old Ukrainian marine Mykyta Kaliberda, who expressed disbelief at his release. “I’m back in my homeland. Honestly, I never thought this would happen,” he told reporters.
President Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed on social media that the freed Ukrainians included “both military personnel and civilians,” some of whom had been “held by the Russians since 2014, 2016, and 2017.” He added that several “defenders of Mariupol” — the port city that endured a brutal siege before falling to Russian forces in 2022 — were part of the swap.
For many families, the moment was deeply emotional. “My eldest son was in captivity for three years, four months, and two days. Thank God, we awaited him,” said Tetiana Turkoman, the mother of a Mariupol fighter. She explained she had a “feeling” he would be freed and traveled to witness the handover.
Anastasia, whose husband Artur fought in the war, shouted his name through tears: “I don’t know how many times I’ve been to the exchanges, hoping that my husband will be there. Artur! Artur Ivanik! My God!”
The Russian Defense Ministry announced via Telegram that its returning troops were receiving “psychological and medical assistance” and credited the UAE with brokering the deal.
Since the start of the conflict, prisoner exchanges have been one of the only consistent outcomes of negotiations between Moscow and Kyiv. Previous talks held in Istanbul between May and July produced multiple swaps, even as peace efforts stalled.
In their most recent agreement, the two countries committed to exchanging 1,200 prisoners each. A Russian negotiator also revealed that Moscow had offered to return the bodies of 3,000 Ukrainian soldiers killed in the fighting.
