Russia and Ukraine have swapped 185 prisoners of war each, following an agreement from recent talks in Istanbul. The Russian Defense Ministry announced the exchange on Thursday, marking another effort to bring soldiers home amid their ongoing conflict.
Under the deal struck on July 23, 185 Russian troops returned from areas controlled by Kyiv. In exchange, Russia freed 185 Ukrainian prisoners. The ministry also shared that 20 Russian civilians made it back from Ukrainian-held territories.
Right now, these returned Russians are in Belarus, where they’re getting medical checkups and psychological help. From there, they’ll head to Russia for more treatment and recovery.
This isn’t the first time. Back in August, the two sides exchanged 146 prisoners. And in a related move, Ukraine handed over eight residents from Russia’s Kursk region. Ukrainian forces briefly took control of parts of Kursk in a surprise August 2024 attack, but Russian troops pushed them back soon after.
The United Arab Emirates stepped in to mediate this latest prisoner of war exchange, helping smooth the process.
The swap ties back to the third round of direct Russia-Ukraine peace talks in Istanbul last July. Russian Presidential aide Vladimir Medinsky noted then that both countries agreed to release at least 1,200 prisoners each in total.
These talks build on earlier ones. Russia and Ukraine met twice before in Istanbul—on May 16 and June 2. During the June meeting, they committed to an “all-for-all” deal for seriously injured or ill prisoners, those under 25, and even the return of fallen soldiers’ bodies.
As the Russia-Ukraine war drags on, these prisoner exchanges offer a glimmer of humanitarian progress amid the fighting.
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