Russia and Ukraine conduct first prisoner exchange in four months
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Ukraine and Russia announced their first prisoner exchange in nearly four months, facilitated by negotiations mediated by the United Arab Emirates.
The exchange saw 150 prisoners freed, with both sides releasing 75 individuals each.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy confirmed that 75 Ukrainian prisoners were returned from Russia. Among them were four civilians, while the remainder were military personnel. "After a long pause, another prisoner swap took place: 75 defenders and civilians were released from the enemy's captivity," announced Ukraine's Coordinating Committee on Dealing with Prisoners of War.
The Russian Defence Ministry also confirmed the exchange, stating that Ukraine handed over 75 prisoners as part of the UAE-brokered deal, according to the RIA news agency.
Photographs accompanying the committee’s statement depicted Ukrainian servicemen draped in their national blue and yellow flags, celebrating their return. Among the released were 19 defenders of Snake Island, a small yet strategically significant rocky outcrop in the Black Sea. Snake Island became a symbol of Ukrainian resistance in the early days of the war when its guards famously refused to surrender to Russian forces.
Additionally, Ukrainian officials reported that as part of the exchange, Russia handed over the bodies of 212 Ukrainian defenders, providing some closure to the families of those who perished in the conflict.
