Major Prisoner Exchange: 150 Ukrainians Return Home

On February 5th, a significant prisoner exchange, the largest this year, took place between Russia and Ukraine under the mediation of the United Arab Emirates. In the exchange, 150 Ukrainian military personnel, including those who had been held in Russian captivity for over two years, were returned home, as reported by NewsBox.

The information was confirmed by both Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and the Russian Ministry of Defense.

"Today is a great day! We are bringing 150 of our defenders back from Russian captivity," stated Volodymyr Zelensky on his Telegram channel.

He emphasized that among those freed were soldiers, sergeants, and officers of the Naval Forces who were captured in Mariupol and the Zaporizhzhia region, as well as representatives from the Air Forces, airborne assault, and ground troops, national guardsmen, border guards, members of the territorial defense, and a police officer. The President assured that the efforts to return all captives are ongoing.

The Russian Ministry of Defense confirmed the exchange, noting that the freed Russian soldiers are currently in Belarus, writes DW.

The previous prisoner exchange between Kyiv and Moscow occurred on January 15th, also mediated by the UAE, during which 25 individuals from each side were freed.

Prior to the prisoner exchange, in an interview with British journalist Piers Morgan, Volodymyr Zelensky disclosed approximate data on the losses of the Ukrainian military for the first time. According to him, about 45,100 Ukrainian service members have died during the war, and around 390,000 have been wounded. The President clarified that the number of injuries exceeds the number of wounded, as many soldiers, after being wounded, returned to the battlefield and were wounded again. Zelensky also claimed that Russian losses during the full-scale invasion amount to about 350,000 dead and 600,000-700,000 wounded. These figures have not been confirmed by independent sources.

It is worth recalling that on December 12, 2024, Zelensky proposed to North Korean leader Kim Jong Un to exchange DPRK soldiers, captured by Ukrainian forces in the Kursk region, for Ukrainian soldiers held in Russian captivity. As of now, no response has been received from Pyongyang regarding this offer.