Russia and Ukraine Exchange 370 Prisoners of War With UAE Mediation
Russia and Ukraine each returned 185 prisoners of war in a swap facilitated by the United Arab Emirates, the Russian Defense Ministry announced Friday. The exchange is the second phase of a broader prisoner swap process that began May 15, when both sides exchanged 205 POWs each. The ongoing exchanges represent a rare area of limited cooperation amid the continuing conflict and signal the UAE's growing role as a diplomatic intermediary.
Russia and Ukraine completed a prisoner of war exchange on Friday, with each side returning 185 soldiers, according to the Russian Defense Ministry. The swap was mediated by the United Arab Emirates and follows a first phase on May 15 in which 205 soldiers were exchanged on each side. The latest exchange comes roughly a month after U.S. President Donald Trump announced a large-scale POW swap involving 1,000 soldiers per side. Ukraine's Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War confirmed the exchange, noting that more than half of the returned Ukrainian soldiers had been captured in 2022, including during the siege of Mariupol, and that two officers were among those released. In addition to military personnel, three Russian families were returned from Ukraine and five Ukrainian civilians were returned from Russia, along with one Ukrainian civilian held since 2022. Russian soldiers are being assessed in Belarus before being transported to Russia for rehabilitation, while Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky acknowledged the exchange on Telegram, crediting frontline soldiers for enabling the returns.
What's missing
It remains unclear how the broader 1,000-soldier-per-side swap announced by Trump is progressing overall, and whether the current exchanges represent fulfillment of that announcement or a separate parallel process. The specific conditions or negotiations that led to UAE mediation are not detailed in available coverage.
How coverage differed
Coverage from The Moscow Times, which operates under significant pressure from Russian authorities, presented the exchange factually and included both Russian and Ukrainian official statements without apparent slant. State-run Russian media coverage of such events typically emphasizes the Russian Defense Ministry's role and humanitarian framing, while Ukrainian sources tend to highlight the identities and circumstances of returned soldiers.
What different sources said
- The Moscow TimesCenter
Russia and Ukraine Exchange 370 POWs
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