Russia and Ukraine exchange 300 POWs

Russia and Ukraine exchange 300 POWs - MOD (VIDEO)

RT.com
06 Mar 2026, 18:25 GMT+10

The second stage of a "500 for 500" prisoner swap has taken place with mediation by the UAE and the US, the Defense Ministry in Moscow has said

Russia and Ukraine have conducted a POW swap involving 300 captives from each side, the Defense Ministry in Moscow said on Friday, adding that the United Arab Emirates and the US had provided mediation to facilitate the agreement.

Since the resumption of direct Russia-Ukraine talks in May 2025, the two sides have regularly carried out exchanges of POWs as well as the bodies of fallen troops.

In a press release on Friday, the Russian MOD stated that "300 Russian servicemen have been returned from territory controlled by the Kiev regime. In exchange, 300 prisoners of war from the Ukrainian armed forces were handed over." The swaps typically take place at undisclosed locations along the front line.

According to the ministry, the returned Russian servicemen are currently in neighboring Belarus, where they are receiving psychological and medical assistance before being transported to Russia for treatment and rehabilitation.

The exchange was the second stage of a "500 for 500" swap. On March 5, the Russian MOD said 200 Russian servicemen had been returned and 200 Ukrainian soldiers were handed over to Kiev.

The largest such swap came shortly after talks were resumed last May, when Moscow and Kiev agreed to exchange up to 1,000 prisoners each in a deal implemented in several stages the same month.

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