Russia, Ukraine exchange over 300 POWs day after Trump-Putin call
- 19 March, 12:50
Russia and Ukraine on Wednesday exchanged 175 prisoners of war each in the largest exchange since Russia’s full-fledged invasion that started three years ago.
The prisoner exchange that ensured the return of 372 prisoners of war took place a day after the phone call between US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday in which the return of POWs was discussed.
“We are bringing back soldiers, sergeants, and officers - warriors who fought for our freedom in the ranks of the Armed Forces, the Navy, the National Guard, the Territorial Defense Forces, and the Border Guard Service,” said Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy. The released Ukrainian POWs had been captured while defending the embattled Azovstal steel plant in Mariupol, as well as Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson, Kharkiv, Mykolaiv, Zaporizhzhia, Sumy regions in Ukraine, and Russia’s border Kursk region.
Among the returned Ukrainian captives were 22 severely wounded soldiers who were returned through a separate negotiation process, both sides confirmed. Russian Defense Ministry said earlier Wednesday it had released 22 severely wounded Ukrainians “as a goodwill gesture”. Originally, Putin had promised to Trump to return 23 prisoners during the phone call on Tuesday. Zelenskiy said the 22 captives were receiving treatment. The Kremlin revealed that the recent prisoner exchange had been mediated by the United Arab Emirates.
Since the start of the war, over 4,000 Ukrainians, including civilians and foreigners, have been released from Russian captivity, according to the POW treatment headquarters.
