Russia and Ukraine exchanged 160 captured soldiers each on Friday, June 26, 2026, in a swap brokered by the United Arab Emirates. President Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed the release of Ukrainian POWs, many of whom had been held since 2022.
Prisoner exchanges remain a rare point of cooperation between Russia and Ukraine amidst ongoing conflict and stalled peace negotiations, highlighting the humanitarian aspect of the war.
Russia and Ukraine exchanged 160 captured soldiers each on Friday, June 26, 2026, in a swap brokered by the United Arab Emirates. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced the handover on social media, stating that all 160 released service members had been held captive since 2022. He posted photographs of the returning men draped in blue-and-yellow flags. Russia's defense ministry confirmed the figures, stating that 160 Russian servicemen had been returned and were taken to Belarus for care. Prisoner swaps have been one of the few areas of cooperation between the two nations since the full-scale invasion began in February 2022. This exchange follows a previous one on June 5, which returned 185 Ukrainian POWs.