Russia, Ukraine conduct 84-for-84 prisoner swap Decade-old captives among them

Russia and Ukraine have conducted a prisoner exchange, with each side returning 84 individuals.

The Russian Ministry of Defence announced on its Telegram channel that the returning Russian servicemen are currently in Belarus, where they are receiving psychological and medical support. They will subsequently be transported to Russia for further treatment and rehabilitation at the Ministry of Defence medical facilities.

The ministry noted that the United Arab Emirates played a role in facilitating the humanitarian mediation for the return of Russian soldiers.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed the exchange, highlighting that among those released were civilians held since 2014, 2016, and 2017, as well as military personnel, including defenders of Mariupol. According to the Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War, 33 military personnel and 51 civilians returned to Ukraine.

The prisoner exchanges were agreed upon by Russian and Ukrainian delegations in early June during talks in Istanbul, focusing on seriously wounded soldiers, prisoners aged 18 to 25, and the transfer of the bodies of soldiers killed in the conflict. Exchanges began on June 9, with the previous round occurring on July 4.

Russian authorities also reported that in mid-June, indefinite sanitary exchanges commenced, allowing the transfer of wounded soldiers without preconditions, although details were not disclosed.

The August 14 exchange coincided with the eve of a scheduled meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and US President Donald Trump in Alaska on August 15, where the Russian-Ukrainian war and prospects for a ceasefire are expected to be key discussion points.

By Tamilla Hasanova