Russia and Ukraine exchange hundreds of prisoners of war

Russia and Ukraine said Wednesday they had each swapped 175 prisoners in one of the largest exchanges since the Russian full-scale invasion started three years ago.

“We are bringing back soldiers, sergeants, and officers – warriors who fought for our freedom in the ranks of the Armed Forces, the Navy, the National Guard, the Territorial Defence Forces, and the Border Guard Service,” said Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky.

The Ukrainian leader said Tuesday that releasing all prisoners of war as well as captured civilians would be an important step towards peace and could help build trust between the two countries. He has repeatedly called for an “all-for-all” prisoner exchange.

This comes as ongoing discussions about a temporary ceasefire that may pause the war continue.

Shortly after the exchange took place near the northern border of the two warring countries, dozens of anxious families rushed to a hospital in Ukraine’s Chernihiv region set to receive the released prisoners.

Among them was 28-year-old Aliona Skuibida who has been campaigning for nearly three years for the return of her fiance, Andrii Orel, captured in April 2022 during the brutal battle for Mariupol, which eventually fell to Russian forces.

Skuibida, a member of the Marine Corps Strength Association, said they were to marry as soon as he returned from the battlefield but he fell into Russian hands instead.

“Captivity is not a way to survive,” she said, adding that many soldiers return from Russian captivity bearing signs of torture.

But on Wednesday, Skuibida was ready to celebrate Orel’s return with blue and yellow balloons and a cake. “His birthday was the day before,” she said.

Several buses then pulled into the hospital grounds. As frail and visibly exhausted soldiers poured out of the vehicles, their faces lit up. Some smiled, showing lost teeth.

‘All I want now is a bowl of borscht’

“Until I saw our flag, I couldn’t believe I was home,” said 46-year-old Oleksandr Savov. “And then I kissed it.” Next to him stood his daughter, Anastasiia Savova, 25, who hadn’t heard from her father in nearly three years. She faithfully wrote him letters while he was held captive that went unanswered.

“All I want now is peace, a bowl of borscht, a chance to wash, and to lie down in a clean bed,” Oleksandr Savov said. He believes he lost about 20 kilograms (about 44 pounds) during his imprisonment since May, saying conditions were “cold and damp”, with poor nutrition and no medical care.

Savov, 46, showed an Associated Press reporter his hands covered in a red rash.

As families reunited, there were others still missing. Some moved through the crowd, carrying photos of their missing relatives, desperately asking released POWs if they had seen them.

Russia’s Defence Ministry said earlier Wednesday it had released an additional 22 severely wounded Ukraine captives “as a goodwill gesture”. Zelensky said they were returned through a separate negotiation process. Originally, Russian President Vladimir Putin had promised to release 23 prisoners when he spoke with US President Donald Trump about a potential partial ceasefire. There was no immediate comment on the reason the number changed.

Severely wounded soldiers and fighters whom Russia had prosecuted on fabricated charges were among those released, Zelensky said, promising that: “Ukraine remembers each of its heroes, and we will bring everyone home.”

Prisoner exchanges have happened throughout the war, and Wednesday’s exchange had been planned before the call with the US president.

Petro Yatsenko, head of the press office at Ukraine’s Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of POWs, emphasised that prisoner exchanges require extensive preparation.

“These exchanges are not spontaneous events. They take months of careful planning – not just days or weeks,” Yatsenko said, adding that the last exchange was on Feb. 5. “And we’ve been working continuously since then to prepare for this one.”

Since the start of the Russian invasion, more than 4,000 Ukrainian captives, including civilians and foreigners, have been released, according to the POW treatment headquarters.

The released Ukrainian servicemen had been captured while defending multiple regions, including Mariupol, the Azovstal steel plant, Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson, Kharkiv, Mykolaiv, Zaporizhzhia, Sumy, and Kursk.

All those who returned will receive immediate medical and psychological assistance, Zelenskyy said in a statement on Telegram. He also expressed gratitude to the Ukrainian team working on prisoner swaps and international partners, particularly the United Arab Emirates, for facilitating the exchange.

According to the United Nations, most Ukrainian POWs suffer medical neglect, severe and systematic mistreatment, and even torture while in detention. There have also been isolated reports of abuse by Russian soldiers, mostly during capture or transit to internment sites.

(FRANCE 24 with AP)

France24