Russia and Ukraine exchanged more than 300 prisoners of war (POWs) in a deal brokered by the United Arab Emirates ahead of New Year’s Eve, officials from both countries confirmed.
The Russian Ministry of Defence stated on Monday that it had returned 150 Ukrainian prisoners, while Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced that 189 Ukrainians had been brought home. The discrepancy in the reported numbers has not been explained.
“The return of our people from Russian captivity is always very good news for each of us. And today is one of such days: our team managed to bring 189 Ukrainians home,” Zelenskyy said on Telegram. He added that the exchange included two civilians captured in Mariupol in 2022 and thanked the UAE for facilitating the negotiation.
Photos released by Zelenskyy showed dozens of men sitting inside a bus, some wrapped in Ukraine’s national blue-and-yellow flags. A separate video from Russia’s human rights commissioner, Tatyana Moskalkova, depicted soldiers dressed in winter clothing and military fatigues gathered outside buses. “I thank you for your service, patience, and courage,” Moskalkova said, wishing them a happy New Year.
“Very soon, our guys will embrace their relatives and friends and celebrate the New Year in their native land,” she wrote on Telegram.
The Russian Defence Ministry stated that the returned POWs were provided with medical and psychological assistance in Belarus, a key ally of Moscow, before traveling home.
Since the war began in February 2022, Ukraine claims to have secured the release of 3,956 people, both soldiers and civilians, in prisoner swaps with Russia. Monday’s exchange marked the 60th such deal, following an October swap in which 95 POWs were exchanged by both sides.
“We continue working to free every single person from Russian captivity. This is our goal, and we will not forget anyone. I thank the team that is doing everything to bring our people home,” Zelenskyy stated.
The exchange coincided with an announcement by U.S. President Joe Biden that the United States would send an additional $2.5 billion in military aid to Ukraine. The move aims to support Kyiv in its ongoing resistance against Russia.
