Ukraine secures return of 49 people in POW exchange with Russia

KYIV – Ukraine has secured the release of 49 people from Russian captivity in the latest exchange of prisoners of war (POW) with Moscow, President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Sept 13.

The latest swop since Russia’s invasion in 2022 was mediated by the United Arab Emirates, a spokesperson for Ukraine’s military intelligence agency said.

“Another return of our people – something we always wait for and work tirelessly to achieve... We must bring home every single one of our people, both military and civilian,” Mr Zelensky said on social media platform X, announcing the 56th such swop with Russia. 

Mr Andriy Yermak, Mr Zelensky’s chief of staff, said on the Telegram messaging app that the Ukrainians released included seven civilians as well as personnel from the armed forces, national guard, police and the border guard service.

Ukraine did not say how many Russians had been released. Moscow is yet to comment on the swop.

Video footage released by Ukraine from an undisclosed location showed service personnel being greeted with flowers, hugs and leaflets saying: “Thank you for enduring it all”.

One released prisoner held the leaflet to his heart and wept.

Kyiv and Moscow have frequently exchanged prisoners since Russia’s full-scale invasion, and the Sept 13 swop was the second since Ukraine began

a cross-border incursion into Russia’s Kursk region

in early August.

Ukraine said its troops had captured at least 600 Russian soldiers during the incursion and that this would help it secure the return of captured Ukrainians.

Mr Yermak said some of the Ukrainians released had taken part in the defence of Mariupol and the Azovstal steel plant in the southern port city, which had been under siege in fierce fighting and is now occupied by Russian troops.

Ukrainian ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets said Ukraine had now secured the return of 3,569 people from Russian captivity since the start of the invasion. REUTERS