Russia and Ukraine carried out a prisoner exchange on Friday, with each side repatriating 185 soldiers.

On Friday, Russia and Ukraine carried out a new exchange of prisoners of war, with each side repatriating 185 military personnel, according to announcements made by Moscow and Kyiv. The Russian Ministry of Defense reported that the Russian soldiers were repatriated from territories controlled by Ukraine, while Ukraine received back 185 prisoners from the Ukrainian armed forces.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky mentioned that among those repatriated are combatants from the armed forces, the national guard, and the border service, including a civilian, some of whom have been in captivity since 2022. The exchange was mediated by the United Arab Emirates and represents one of the few forms of cooperation between the two countries in the context of the current conflict, being the only concrete result of recent negotiations. The previous prisoner exchange took place on May 15, with 205 individuals from each side.