Russia and Ukraine exchange hundreds of prisoners of war
Russia and Ukraine have exchanged hundreds of prisoners of war in a deal brokered by the United Arab Emirates.
Russia announced on Monday afternoon that it had exchanged 150 Ukrainian soldiers for a similar number of Russian soldiers. Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky posted on X, stating, “Our team has managed to bring 189 Ukrainians back home.”
“After a negotiation process, 150 Russian soldiers were returned from the territory controlled by the Kyiv regime. In exchange, 150 prisoners of war from the Armed Forces of Ukraine were handed over,” the Russian command stated on Telegram.
The return of our people from Russian captivity is always very good news for all of us. Today is one of those days – our team has managed to bring 189 Ukrainians back home.
These are military personnel: defenders of Azovstal and Mariupol, Chornobyl NPP, Zmiinyi Island, and… pic.twitter.com/9z7WLIh5Iu
— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) December 30, 2024
The Ukrainian president also noted that among those released were “defenders of Azovstal and Mariupol,” personnel from the Chernobyl nuclear plant, and from Snake Island. On this occasion, Ukraine secured the release of soldiers, border guards, members of the National Guard, and Navy personnel, many of whom had been in Russian captivity for over two and a half years. Among the released were also two civilians captured during the takeover of Mariupol.
“We Don’t Forget Anyone”
Zelensky emphasized his government’s commitment to securing the release of all citizens detained by Russia: “We are working to free everyone from Russian captivity. That is our goal. We don’t forget anyone.” Zelensky shared images of the freed soldiers holding Ukrainian flags inside a bus, visibly emotional upon their return.
Mariupol, a port city in southeastern Ukraine, fell to Russia in May 2022 after months of fighting, including the resistance of Ukrainian troops at the Azovstal steel plant. Other strategic locations, such as Chernobyl and Snake Island, were also captured by Russian forces that same year, although some Ukrainian prisoners from these operations had been recovered in previous exchanges.
The prisoner exchange underscores Ukraine’s ongoing efforts to recover its citizens and mitigate the conflict’s impact on the lives of thousands of families.