Russia and Ukraine exchange 185 prisoners of war each

Thursday 02 October 2025 - 15:20

By: Sahili Aya

Russia and Ukraine exchange 185 prisoners of war each

Russia and Ukraine carried out a large-scale prisoner swap on Thursday, each side releasing 185 detainees, according to officials from both countries. The exchange marks one of the rare areas of cooperation between Moscow and Kyiv after more than three and a half years of conflict.

The Russian Ministry of Defense announced on Telegram that 185 Russian servicemen were repatriated from territory controlled by Kyiv. In return, 185 Ukrainian soldiers were handed back to Ukraine. The ministry also noted that 20 civilians were transferred to Moscow.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed the exchange, stating that soldiers and officers from the army, the National Guard, and the border guard service had returned home. Among them were troops who fought during the devastating siege of Mariupol in 2022 and personnel stationed at the Chernobyl nuclear plant, briefly occupied by Russian forces at the start of the war.

“Since the beginning of the full-scale invasion, we have already brought home more than 7,000 of our people,” Zelensky said.

Prisoner swaps and the return of soldiers’ remains remain among the few areas of cooperation between the two sides. Despite several rounds of negotiations earlier this year in Istanbul, prospects for a broader ceasefire or peace agreement remain stalled as both countries maintain irreconcilable positions.