Ukraine and Russia each exchange 270 prisoners of war

Ukraine and Russia carried out a prisoner-of-war swap on Friday, with each side getting back 270 captives. Russia's Defense Ministry also confirmed the exchange, saying the 270 released Russian prisoners were in Belarus. The swap is part of a deal brokered by U.S. President Donald Trump's administration in May and continues the return of prisoners held during Russia's war against Ukraine.

Agreement and talks

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said at the time that the process was expected to cover 2,000 prisoners of war in total. The latest exchange took place shortly after another round of negotiations ended in Oslo and St. Petersburg.

Ukraine's thanks

In a statement, Ukraine's Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War thanked the United States and the United Arab Emirates, singling out those who helped secure the release of Stephen Hubbard. He is a 74-year-old English teacher from Izium who, according to the headquarters, was unlawfully convicted and tortured by the Russians.

Time in captivity

Most of the service members handed over to Ukraine had been held since 2022, authorities said. Some had been captured as far back as 2018 and 2020, during the war in Donbas.