Russia and Ukraine exchange 205 prisoners of war each on Friday, Moscow’s defence ministry says. The ministry states that 205 Russian servicemen are returned from territory controlled by Kyiv, and that 205 Ukrainian armed forces prisoners of war are transferred in exchange. The swap follows an announcement by US President Donald Trump that the two sides would carry out a mutual exchange of 1,000 POWs each, linked to a three-day ceasefire brokered by the United States earlier this month.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy presents the prisoner exchange as a first step toward a larger POW swap agreed by both governments under the Trump-linked terms. The broader ceasefire has seen allegations from both sides of violations. Ukraine accuses Russia of increasing strikes against civilians after the ceasefire ended, while both parties have raised concerns about compliance.
The POW exchanges are described by sources as one of the few areas of cooperation between the two countries, which have been at war since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
