In a rare moment of humanitarian cooperation, Russia and Ukraine have carried out a significant prisoner exchange involving wounded and ill soldiers. The exchange, which took place on Tuesday, comes just days after a second round of peace talks held in Turkey.
While the exact number of soldiers swapped has not been officially disclosed, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy confirmed the return of several severely injured Ukrainian prisoners of war (POWs) from Russian captivity. Many of them are in critical condition, suffering from amputations, infections, and other trauma-related injuries that require urgent medical care.
“This marks the beginning of the return of our seriously wounded and sick soldiers. All of them need immediate medical help,” Zelenskiy announced on Telegram. “This is an essential humanitarian gesture. We are doing everything we can to bring home every single one of our people held in captivity.”
The handover followed a separate prisoner swap on Monday that involved captives under the age of 25. Videos released by Ukrainian authorities showed returning soldiers stepping off buses at a secure location, many of them wrapped in national flags and greeted with emotional chants of “Glory to Ukraine.”
Ukrainian military intelligence emphasized the delicate nature of the operation, stating that the total number of freed prisoners would only be disclosed once the full exchange process was safely completed.
On the Russian side, the Ministry of Defence confirmed that its own freed soldiers had been moved to Belarus, a country that shares borders with both Ukraine and Russia. These individuals will now undergo medical treatment and rehabilitation before returning home.
This prisoner exchange is one of the few tangible outcomes of the renewed peace negotiations between the two countries. Though the talks have yet to yield progress on a lasting ceasefire, they have opened a pathway for humanitarian actions such as these.
Last month, Russia and Ukraine executed their largest swap since the start of the war, trading around 1,000 captives each. This latest move builds on that momentum and highlights the potential for further cooperation, even amid continued hostilities.
In addition to the POW exchanges, both sides have agreed in principle to return the bodies of thousands of deceased soldiers. However, the process for repatriating the fallen has yet to begin.
The ongoing war, which has raged for over three years now, has left both nations scarred. Yet in the middle of conflict, moments like this prisoner exchange offer a glimpse of humanity — and perhaps, the faint possibility of future peace.
