The Russian Defense Ministry announced the exchange on Friday, stating that 95 Ukrainian soldiers were returned to Ukraine in exchange for an equal number of Russian prisoners of war.

Since the start of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, numerous prisoner exchanges have taken place between the two sides. According to Ukraine's Coordination Headquarters on POW treatment, over 3,600 Ukrainian soldiers have been returned home through these swaps.

The latest exchange follows a similar deal mediated by the UAE in September, which saw the return of 152 Ukrainian men and women.

Ukraine has not disclosed the exact number of its citizens held captive in Russia. However, in January, Kyiv reported that approximately 8,000 Ukrainians were prisoners of war, including over 1,600 civilians. In June, Russian President Vladimir Putin stated that Russia held 6,465 Ukrainian soldiers and that Ukraine held 1,348 Russian service members.

Among the Russian prisoners of war exchanged in the latest swap were many conscripts captured in Kursk Oblast. The returned Ukrainian prisoners included human rights activist Maksym Butkevych and 34 soldiers of the Azov Regiment. (ILKHA)