A Step for Hope: Russia and Ukraine Engage in Prisoner Exchange

By Matthew Grace

On September 14^th, a successful prisoner exchange involving 206 prisoners of war occurred between Russia and Ukraine over two days. This exchange occurs just days after the Russian counteroffensive to recapture ground taken in the Kurk region . The Russian Defense Ministry stated 103 soldiers were returned that had been captured during the Kursk invasion which began last month on August 6^th. They are recuperating in Belarus and are to be given the “necessary psychological and medical assistance” and are permitted to contact their relatives in Russia before returning. Ukrainian President Voldymir Zelensky spoke of the returned 103 Ukrainian defenders, “Our people are home…we have successfully brought back another 103 warriors from Russian captivity to Ukraine”. The returned Ukrainian defenders are comprised of 82 privates and sergeants and 21 officers of the armed forces, national guard, border guard, and police. They were captured defending the regions of Kyiv, Donetsk, Mariupol, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, Kharkiv, and Azovstal. Some of these defenders were members of the Azov Brigade which took part in a 3-month defense of the port in 2022, 23 of which were released in this exchange. This exchange was mediated by the largely neutral leaning United Arab Emirates (UAE) and follows on the heels of a 230-prisoner swap at the beginning of August. That exchange was also brokered by the UAE and are but 2 of 8 successful prisoner swaps administered by the UAE. Since the outbreak of the invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, over 3,672 Ukrainian prisoners of war have been exchanged in 57 swaps.