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Russia and Ukraine on Sunday exchanged 146 prisoners of war each after mediation by the United Arab Emirates, both sides confirmed.
The Russian Defense Ministry said 146 of its servicemen were returned through “humanitarian mediation efforts” by the UAE. “In exchange, 146 prisoners of war of the Armed Forces of Ukraine were transferred (to the Ukrainian side),” it added.
The ministry also said eight Russian citizens from the border region of Kursk were returned as part of the deal. The freed Russian servicemen are currently in Belarus, where they are “receiving the necessary psychological and medical assistance,” according to the ministry.
Ukraine’s Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War confirmed the swap in a statement on Telegram but did not provide figures.
It acknowledged that eight civilians were returned and noted that the exchanges followed agreements reached in Istanbul during three rounds of renewed peace talks held on May 16, June 2, and July 23.
“Exchanges continue. And this is possible thanks to our warriors, who replenish the ‘exchange fund’ for Ukraine; to our team, which works every day; and to our partners who help,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy wrote on X.
The latest swap comes as U.S. President Donald Trump intensifies diplomatic efforts to end the Russia-Ukraine war, which began in February 2022.
Large-scale prisoner exchanges have been one of the few areas of cooperation between the two sides since the conflict started. They remain the only tangible result of the Istanbul talks, where 3 rounds of renewed peace talks were held on May 16, June 2, and July 23.
“On August 24, 146 Russian servicemen were returned from the territory controlled by Kyiv,” the Russian Defense Ministry said on Telegram. “In exchange, 146 prisoners of war of the Ukrainian Armed Forces were transferred to Ukraine,” it added. Ukraine did not confirm numbers for the release.
Russia also said “eight citizens of the Russian Federation — residents of the Kursk region, illegally detained” by Ukraine were freed.
Ukrainian forces launched a surprise incursion into Russia’s Kursk region in August last year, seizing hundreds of square kilometers in a major setback for Moscow. Russia deployed thousands of troops from ally North Korea in a counterattack, but did not fully retake the region until April.
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Among the Ukrainians released Sunday was journalist Dmytro Khyliuk, Zelenskyy said. “He was kidnapped in the Kyiv region in March 2022. He is finally home in Ukraine,” the president wrote on social media.
Also freed was former Kherson Mayor Volodymyr Mykolayenko, who “spent more than three years in captivity,” Zelenskyy’s aide Andriy Yermak said on X.
Yermak noted that in 2022 Mykolayenko was listed for exchange but refused in order to allow the release of a seriously ill prisoner with whom he shared a cell in Russia.
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