Russia and Ukraine exchanged 84 prisoners each on Thursday, the latest in a series of swaps that have freed hundreds of captives this year. The exchange came just a day before Russian President Vladimir Putin meets US President Donald Trump in Alaska for high-level talks on Friday.
“I’m back in my homeland. Honestly, I never thought this would happen,” said 29-year-old marine Mykyta Kaliberda, one of those freed.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said the released group included both soldiers and civilians, some held since as far back as 2014. Among them were “defenders of Mariupol,” the port city seized by Russian forces in 2022 after a nearly three-month siege.
Families celebrated tearful reunions. “My eldest son was in captivity for three years, four months, and two days. Thank God, we awaited him,” said Tetiana Turkoman, whose son fought in Mariupol.
Russia’s Defence Ministry confirmed the swap, saying it was mediated by the United Arab Emirates and that freed Russian personnel were receiving medical and psychological care.
Large-scale prisoner exchanges remain one of the few tangible outcomes of three rounds of peace talks in Istanbul earlier this year. In their most recent agreement, both sides pledged to swap 1,200 prisoners each, and Russia also offered to return the remains of 3,000 Ukrainian soldiers.
0 Comments