Russia, Ukraine swap 185 prisoners each as war rages on

Russia and Ukraine carried out another major prisoner swap on Thursday, with each side releasing 185 captives, officials in Moscow and Kyiv confirmed. The exchange comes even as peace talks between the two nations remain stalled.

Russia’s defence ministry announced on Telegram that “185 Russian servicemen have been returned” from Ukrainian custody. It also noted that 20 civilians were freed in the deal.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed the exchange, sharing photographs of freed Ukrainians draped in national flags, many smiling with freshly shaved heads.

“Alongside our defenders, civilians are also returning home –- 20 of our people. Everyone will definitely receive all the support they need,” Zelensky said on social media.

He added: “Since the start of the full-scale invasion, we have already brought over 7,000 of our people home.”

Footage released by Russia’s defence ministry showed its returning prisoners of war inside buses, some holding national flags, following the exchange at an undisclosed site in Belarus.

Large-scale prisoner swaps have become the only consistent outcome of limited peace talks between the two sides. Delegations met in Istanbul three times between May and July, but other efforts at negotiation have failed to gain traction.

Both Russia and Ukraine have also overseen the repatriation of fallen soldiers, with prisoner exchanges standing as the sole area of cooperation amid the ongoing war.

Since Russia’s full-scale invasion began in 2022, tens of thousands of troops from both nations have been killed. However, neither government regularly publishes casualty figures.