Russia and Ukraine exchange hundreds of prisoners of war

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky says more than 3,000 POWs have been returned home since the beginning of the two-year war.

Russia and Ukraine traded hundreds of prisoners of war on Wednesday, January 31, just a week after Moscow said Kyiv had shot down a plane carrying captured Ukrainian soldiers to an exchange.

The crash of a Russian military cargo plane near the border with Ukraine – which Russia said killed 65 Ukrainian POWs – had thrown doubt on future prisoner swaps between the two sides. President Vladimir Putin said it was "obvious" Ukraine shot it down, and on Wednesday claimed Kyiv's forces used a US Patriot system to do so. "This has already been established by forensics," Putin said in a televised appearance.

Despite the tension, both sides made simultaneous announcements hailing the latest agreement on Wednesday to free more than 400 people captured during the course of the two-year war. Russia's defense ministry said 195 of its soldiers were freed, while Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said 207 people – both soldiers and civilians – had returned to Ukraine. "Our people are back, 207 of them. We return them home no matter what," Zelensky said in a social media post.

'We will release all our people'

In his daily evening address, Zelensky added that a total of over 3,000 Ukrainian POWs have now returned home. "They have different ranks and experience. All are equally important for Ukraine," Zelensky stressed. The exchange was brokered by the United Arab Emirates – which has played a role in several previous swaps – Moscow said.

Ukraine said the youngest soldier returning home was 20, while the oldest was 61. The freed Ukrainians include those who fought in Mariupol and on Snake Island – a scrubby rock in the Black Sea that secured worldwide fame when the Ukrainians stationed there issued an expletive-laden radio message to Russian attackers.

Wednesday's exchange – which took place exactly a week after the plane was shot down – was the 50th swap between the two sides since Russia invaded in February 2022, Kyiv said. Ukraine said more than 3,000 POWs have now been returned. A similar number of Russians have also been freed, with most exchanges based on a one-for-one format. Thousands who have been captured or surrendered throughout the war are thought to still be in captivity.

US envoy Victoria Nuland visited Kyiv on Wednesday to underline the White House's support, despite lawmakers in Washington stalling on providing further military aid for Ukraine. She said she was confident that "Putin is going to get some nice surprises on the battlefield and that Ukraine will make some very strong success" as it tries to revive its counter-offensive.

Kyiv is hoping for a breakthrough this week over unlocking €50 billion ($54.2 billion) of aid from the EU. EU leaders will meet on Thursday, seeking to reach a final agreement over a massive four-year financial package that was blocked by Hungary last year.