Ukraine and Russia Exchange 150 Prisoners Each, With UAE Mediation – Latest Update

Today Ukraine and Russia conducted another round of major prisoner exchange. This time both of the nations released 150 servicemen from each side. 

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed the exchange from his official X account. He shared photos of the returning Ukrainian troops, draped in national flags, sitting in a bus on their way home.

Stating that some of the freed Ukrainian soldiers had been in captivity for more than two years. On his X platform, he wrote, “Today is a good day for all of us. We are bringing home 150 of our defenders from Russian captivity….”

Russian sources confirmed, The Defense Ministry of Russia also reported that the returned Russian troops are now in Belarus. They confirmed the news on telegram, that returned people are receiving medical and psychological assistance. They have also been able to contact their families.

Ukrainian President Zelensky explained in his tweet that this exchange involved soldiers, sergeants, and officers from various military branches, including naval forces. 

President stated, “These are soldiers, sergeants, and officers – warriors of the Navy who were taken prisoner in Mariupol and the Zaporizhzhia region, warriors of the Air Force, Air Assault Forces, Land Forces, National Guard, border guards, warriors of the Territorial Defense Forces, and a police officer. They served in different parts of the frontline, but they share one thing in common: they fought for Ukraine….”

While sharing this news both Ukraine and Russia thanked the United Arab Emirates for mediating the negotiations. In his official comment on X, the President of Ukraine added “I thank our partners, in particular the UAE, and all those who stand with us on this path.”

Successful mediation by UAE extended :

This was not the first time of Prisoner exchange was mediated by the UAE. This small Gulf nation set a record by conducting successful mediations and prisoner exchanges in 2024, and with the continuing effort, on 15 Jan 2025, UAE completed its first prisoner swap between Ukraine and Russia for the year 2025.