Kyiv/Moscow — Russia and Ukraine conducted a major prisoner exchange on Thursday, returning 185 servicemembers each to their respective countries, officials in Kyiv and Moscow said.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed the swap on Telegram, saying the released Ukrainians include defenders from Mariupol, the Azovstal steelworks, and personnel captured around the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant. “Everyone will be provided with the necessary support,” he wrote, noting that many had been held since 2022. Russia’s Defence Ministry released video of the handover and said the exchange followed agreements reached on July 23 in Istanbul. In a statement, the ministry said 185 Russian servicemen and 185 Ukrainian POWs were exchanged, and that 20 civilians were also returned to Russia.
Ukraine’s coordination headquarters said more than 7,000 Ukrainians—soldiers and civilians—have been brought home since Russia’s full-scale invasion began. Kyiv maintains that over 2,500 Ukrainian service members remain in Russian captivity and has repeatedly accused Russia of torture and other abuses against POWs allegations Moscow denies.
The swap is one of the few visible outcomes from intermittent contacts between the sides in late spring and early summer. While front-line fighting continues, prisoner exchanges have persisted sporadically, often brokered with third-party facilitation, as one of the only channels of limited cooperation in the 31-month war.
Both governments said returnees will undergo medical checks and debriefings before reuniting with families. No further details on the exchange locations or lists of names were immediately released.
