Russia and Ukraine Swap 390 War Prisoners Each
Ukrainian soldiers return to their country, May 23, 2025. X/ @ZelenskyyUa
May 23, 2025 Hour: 11:51 am
Meanwhile, fighting continues in the Kharkiv region, where Russian troops continue to liberate towns.
On Friday, Russia and Ukraine exchanged 390 war prisoners each as part of an agreement reached during talks in Istanbul. Up to 1,000 prisoners each are expected to be released over the next two days.
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“The deal, the only concrete peace step from the talks, failed to secure a ceasefire proposed by U.S. President Donald Trump, who commented on Truth Social that the swap ‘could lead to something big’,” the online outlet The Informant commented.
This prisoner exchange comes at a time when Ukraine has not accepted Russia’s proposal to reach a lasting peace agreement based on decisions on territories. Meanwhile, fighting continues in the Kharkiv region, where Russian troops continue to liberate towns.
This swap was carried out at the Belarus-Ukraine border, with the released Russian prisoners transported to Belarus for medical care before returning their homeland. Despite this humanitarian gesture, hostilities between the two countries persist, underscoring the complexity of the ongoing conflict.
Since the start of the Russian special military operation in February 2022, the warring parties have carried out several prisoner exchanges. So far, these operations have been negotiated through intermediaries such as the United Arab Emirates, Türkiye, and the International Committee of the Red Cross.
Prisoner exchanges are typically carried out in batches, with the same number of prisoners released by each side. Considered powerful tools for boosting combatant morale, POW swaps often include not only actual combatants but also civilians trapped in the conflict zones.
While they serve humanitarian purposes, prisoner exchanges have sometimes faced political resistance, leading to temporary negotiation failures or unnecessary delays.
teleSUR/ JD
Sources: EFE – The Informant