Russia and Ukraine exchanged prisoners.

Oct 2025 : The Russian Ministry of Defense reported the return of 185 prisoners of war from Ukraine. In exchange, 185 Ukrainian servicemen were transferred. Twenty civilians also returned to Russia; the ministry noted. Russian military personnel and returned civilians are currently in Belarus, receiving medical and psychological assistance. They will later be transferred to Russian medical facilities for rehabilitation.

The last time the two sides exchanged prisoners of war was on August 24. 146 people were returned to Russia, and the same number to Ukraine. Vladimir Medinsky, aide to the Russian president and head of the Russian negotiating delegation, stated at the end of August that the Ukrainian side’s “exchange fund” was approaching zero, while Russia still held “thousands of Ukrainian Armed Forces (UAF) prisoners”.

August 24, 2025: 146 Russian servicemen were returned from the territory controlled by Kyiv, and 146 prisoners of war of the UAF were transferred in exchange.

May 23, 2025: Russia and Ukraine conducted the first stage of a prisoner exchange based on the “1,000 for 1,000” formula, an agreement reached in Istanbul on May 16. 270 military personnel and 120 civilians from each side returned to their countries via Belarus.

May 6, 2025: Russia & Ukraine, with UAE’s mediation, exchanged 205 prisoners of war.

April 19, 2025: A 246-for-246 exchange. In addition, Russia again transferred 31 prisoners of war in need of medical care to Ukraine, receiving 15 seriously wounded Russians in return.

March 19, 2025: A prisoner exchange was held on a 175-for-175 basis. Additionally, as a gesture of goodwill, the Russian side transferred 22 seriously wounded Ukrainian prisoners to Kyiv.

February 5, 2025: The exchange was repeated according to the “150 for 150” formula.

December 30, 2024: Exchange of prisoners of war according to the formula “150 for 150”.

September 14, 2024: Exchange of prisoners of war according to the formula “103 for 103”.

August 24, 2024: A 115-for-115 prisoner-of-war exchange was held. The Russian’s returned the soldiers captured during the UAF’s invasion of the Kursk region.

February 8, 2024: Exchange of prisoners of war according to the “100 for 100” formula.

January 31, 2024: The Russian Ministry of Defense announced a prisoner exchange in the “195 for 195” format. Kyiv claimed that 207 people had returned to Ukraine.

January 3, 2024: Through UAE mediation, 248 Russian soldiers were exchanged for 230 Ukrainian soldiers. This was the largest prisoner exchange to date.

April 10: 2023: 106 Russian servicemen were released. The Ukrainian side reported the return of 100 servicemen from Russian captivity.

February 16, 2023: 101 Russian service members returned. Ukraine has returned 100 military personnel and one civilian, announced Andriy Yermak, head of the presidential office.

November 3, 2022: A 107-for-107 exchange. Acting Head of the DPR Denis Pushilin clarified that 65 prisoners were natives of the Donetsk and Luhansk People’s Republics.

On October 17, 2022: 110 Russians, including 72 civilian sailors, were exchanged for 108 female service members of the Ukrainian Armed Forces (another two, according to the Russian Ministry of Defense, decided to remain in Russia).

June 29, 2022: The first major exchange under the “144 for 144” formula. The Ministry of Defense stated that the exchange took place on the orders of Supreme Commander-in-Chief of the Russian Armed Forces Vladimir Putin. The Ukrainian side reported that among those exchanged were 43 servicemen from the Azov unit (designated a terrorist unit and banned in Russia).

Team Maverick