Ukraine Returns 10 Missing Soldiers in ‘Special’ Exchange With Russia
Two of the soldiers had been previously classified as missing in action since 2024 and eight since 2025, Ukrainian officials said.
Russia and Ukraine recently swapped 10 prisoners of war each, Ukrainian officials and Belarusian media reported on Monday. President Volodymyr Zelensky described the exchange as a "special stage" among ongoing prisoner releases with Moscow. Belarus is said to have facilitated the latest troop repatriation. The Ukrainian Defense Ministry has yet to officially confirm the swap.
According to Ukraine's Coordination Headquarters for Prisoner of War Treatment, two of the returned soldiers had been missing in action since 2024, and eight since 2025. The group comprised soldiers and sailors from Ukraine's armed forces and national guard who had fought in eastern Ukraine's Donetsk region. Zelensky announced the release via his social media platform X, emphasizing its significance.
It remains unclear why the Ukrainian leader labeled the swap "special." The exchange occurred just days after Russia and Ukraine each freed 103 servicemen, mediated by the United Arab Emirates. The latest release came less than a week after that earlier exchange. Since the beginning of the year, both nations have released hundreds of prisoners of war through US and UAE mediation.
Since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, prisoner repatriations and prisoner exchanges have been among the few avenues of direct communication between Moscow and Kyiv.
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