Russia and Ukraine swap hundreds of POWs, Moscow says
Russia and Ukraine exchanged about 200 prisoners of war (POWs) each Wednesday, nearly a week after the two nations traded accusations over the fatal crash of a plane Moscow claimed was carrying Ukrainian POWs, the countries confirmed Wednesday.
The Russian Defense Ministry said each side received 195 soldiers, per The Associated Press, while Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said 207 prisoners were returned to Kyiv.
“Today, we were able to free 207 more Ukrainians from Russian captivity. 180 privates and sergeants. 27 officers,” Zelensky wrote on X, formerly Twitter. “Almost half of them are Mariupol defenders. Armed Forces, National Guard, Border Guard, and National Police — 207 Ukrainians will soon be reunited with their loved ones. 207 happy families.”
Zelensky said it marked the 50th prisoner exchange since Ukraine’s war with Russia began nearly two years ago. About 3,035 Ukrainians have been returned through these exchanges, he said.
The Russian military claimed the Russian POWs involved in Wednesday’s swap “faced deadly danger in captivity” and will be transported to Moscow for treatment and rehabilitation, per the AP.
It comes a week after Moscow claimed a Russian military plane carrying 65 Ukrainian POWs was shot down by Kyiv’s forces, prompting the two nations to trade various counterclaims, The Associated Press reported.
While Russia claimed the plane was taken down in Russia’s Belgorod region with Ukrainian missiles, Kyiv cast doubt on whether prisoners were aboard the plane, which it suggested may have posed a threat to Ukraine, the news wire added.
Neither side provided evidence for their allegations, the AP said.
Russian President Vladimir Putin last week claimed Russian investigators found Ukraine used U.S.-supplied Patriot air defense systems to shoot down the plane, the AP reported. Putin said he would “insist” on an international investigation into the incident.
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