Russia and Ukraine carry out fresh prisoner swap
Olha embraces her son Yevhen, a freed Ukrainian prisoner of war (POW), as he left a bus after a swap, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in an undisclosed location in Ukraine, August 24, 2025. REUTERS/Valentyn Ogirenko
Russia and Ukraine exchanged 146 prisoners of war each on Sunday, following mediation by the United Arab Emirates, according to the Russian Defence Ministry and Ukraine’s president, News.Az reports citng the Reuters.
The Russian ministry said all of the freed Russians were in Belarus receiving psychological and medical assistance.
Ukraine also returned to Moscow eight Russian citizens, residents of the Kursk region, the ministry said.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, writing on the Telegram messaging app, announced that the exchange had taken place, but gave no figures.
The president posted pictures of smiling returnees, saying most of them had been in captivity since 2022, when Russia invaded its smaller neighbour. He said a journalist taken prisoner a month after the invasion was among them.
Zelenskiy thanked the United Arab Emirates for its role in overseeing the swap.
"The exchanges are continuing. Perhaps that is possible because of our soldiers, who are increasing the exchange fund for Ukraine," the president wrote, referring to the capture of Russian servicemen.
Reporting by Reuters Editing by David Goodman and Alistair Bell
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