Russia and Ukraine exchanged 205 prisoners of war, with both sides handing over 205 detainees each. According to Russia’s RIA state news agency, the prisoner swap was carried out on Friday. Reports cited the Russian Defence Ministry, which said that the returned Russian servicemen are currently in Belarus, where they are receiving psychological and medical assistance.
“All Russian servicemen will be transported to the Russian Federation for treatment and rehabilitation in medical institutions of the Russian Defence Ministry,” the ministry said.
On May 9, Russian presidential aide Yuri Ushakov confirmed that both sides were actively working on compiling a list of prisoners of war. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky also expressed his willingness to proceed with the exchange.
Role of US President Trump
This exchange is part of broader efforts to expand prisoner swaps between the two countries. Earlier in May, US President Donald Trump said that he had urged both nations to conduct a mutual exchange of 1,000 prisoners. The US president pushed for a larger swap under a “1000 for 1000” formula, which Russia reportedly agreed to.
The development came after a ceasefire was announced between the two countries during Russia’s May 9 Victory Day parade, which commemorates the defeat of Nazi Germany in World War II.
However, both sides later accused each other of violating the truce. Ukraine accused Moscow of launching strikes after the ceasefire expired, with an air barrage on Kyiv on Thursday reportedly killing at least 24 people.
The exchange of prisoners of war remains one of the few areas where both nations have continued to cooperate since Russia launched its military offensive on Ukrainian territory in February 2022.
The latest swap is being viewed as a significant step amid ongoing discussions around peace negotiations, as the conflict between the two countries has now continued for more than four years.
