Russia and Ukraine on Thursday, August 14, exchanged 84 prisoners each, in the latest swap between the two countries that has seen hundreds of captives released since the start of the year. The exchange took place on the eve of a planned summit between Russian President Vladimir Putin and US President Donald Trump in Alaska.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said the freed individuals included both soldiers and civilians, some of whom had been held since 2014, 2016, and 2017. He noted that “defenders of Mariupol” — referring to the southeastern port city captured by Russian forces in 2022 after a prolonged siege — were among those released.
“I’m back in my homeland. Honestly, I never thought this would happen,” said 29-year-old Ukrainian marine Mykyta Kaliberda after his release. Families gathered at the exchange site, some describing years of waiting and repeated trips in the hope of reuniting with loved ones. “My eldest son was in captivity for three years, four months, and two days. Thank God, we awaited him,” said Tetiana Turkoman, whose son fought in Mariupol.
Russia’s defence ministry said the exchange was mediated by the United Arab Emirates and that returned Russian personnel were receiving medical and psychological care. Footage released by Moscow showed freed Russian prisoners wrapped in national flags aboard a bus in Belarus.
Prisoner swaps have become one of the few consistent outcomes of negotiations between Moscow and Kyiv. Large-scale exchanges followed three rounds of peace talks held in Istanbul between May and July, with last month’s discussions producing an agreement to swap 1,200 prisoners of war each. A Russian negotiator said Moscow had also offered to return the remains of 3,000 Ukrainian soldiers killed in the conflict.