Russia, Ukraine exchange 160 captured soldiers each

KIEV

This video grab taken from a handout footage released by the Russian Defense Ministry on June 26, 2026, shows Russian prisoners of war (POWs) reacting inside a bus following an exchange of prisoners at an undisclosed location in Belarus.

Ukraine and Russia swapped 160 captured soldiers on Friday, Moscow and Kiev said, the latest prisoner of war exchange in the four-year war.

"We continue bringing Ukrainians home from Russian captivity. Today, 160 service members were released," Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on social media.

He added that "all of them had been held captive since 2022" and posted pictures of the men wrapped in Ukraine's blue-and-yellow flags, smiling and embracing each other.

Since the start of the Russian invasion in 2022, exchanges of prisoners and the remains of fallen fighters have been one of the few areas of cooperation between Moscow and Kiev.

Russia's defence ministry said earlier on social media that "160 Russian servicemen have been returned", with "160 Ukrainian prisoners of war handed over in exchange".

"The returned Russian servicemen are currently in the Republic of Belarus," the Russian ministry said.

It added that the United Arab Emirates had mediated the exchange.