All posts tagged: POWs

Russia & Ukraine Exchange 350 POWs As Orthodox Easter Truce Holds

Russia & Ukraine Exchange 350 POWs As Orthodox Easter Truce Holds

Published by Jenni Sidey

The rare Russia-Ukraine Orthodox Easter truce is already bearing much positive fruit, as both sides have on Saturday confirmed a massive POW swap involving 350 captives. In a press release, the Russian Ministry of Defense said that “175 Russian service members were returned from territory controlled by the Kiev regime, while in exchange, 175 Ukrainian Armed Forces prisoners of war were handed over.” via Associated Press Additionally, the ministry announced that seven civilians from Kursk Region – who are believed to be the last hostages still held from a major Ukrainian army border incursion last year – were set free and will soon return home as part of the exchange. The Russian servicemen are currently in neighboring Belarus undergoing medical evaluation ahead of making the final journey home to be reunited with their families. On Friday, just the day prior, the two warring sides announced an Easter truce. The truce extends 32-hours for the whole holiday weekend. Based on regional media reporting of the rare ceasefire, the pause in fighting has been holding and will run until midnight …

Ukraine, Russia free 200 POWs each in first part of prisoner swap

Ukraine, Russia free 200 POWs each in first part of prisoner swap

Published by Sam Flores

A released prisoner of war wrapped in a Ukrainian national flag walks past families holding portraits of their missing or captured relatives, upon his arrival following a prisoner exchange in the Chernygiv region on March 5, 2026, amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine. GENYA SAVILOV / AFP Ukraine and Russia each freed 200 prisoners of war on Thursday, the first part of an exchange that will see them swap 500 people each in total, officials said. The two sides agreed to the exchange during talks in Geneva last month, both sides said. Prisoner swaps are one of the few areas of cooperation between the warring countries. “Today, 200 Ukrainian families received the most-awaited message – their loved ones are coming home,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on social media. Video shared by Ukrainian Human Rights Commissioner Dmytro Lubinets showed servicemen leaving buses, wrapped in Ukrainian flags and shouting “Glory to Ukraine!”, as well as embracing those who came to welcome them. Among those freed were Ukrainian soldiers captured in 2022, including some who fought in …

North Korean POWs stuck in Ukraine as Seoul hesitates

North Korean POWs stuck in Ukraine as Seoul hesitates

Published by Sam Flores

It has been over a year since Ukrainian forces captured two North Korean soldiers in Russia’s Kursk, but the fate of the two men still hangs in the balance as activists accuse the South Korean government of dragging its feet. The men have asked to relocate to South Korea. In the North, they could face punishment for letting themselves be taken alive. “I won’t survive [going back]. Everyone else blew themselves up. I failed,” one of the soldiers told South Korean newspaper Hankook Ilbo. The United Nations has also weighed in on the issue. The UN special rapporteur on North Korea’s human rights record said in February that Ukraine should follow international protocol and not send POWs to a place where they face being tortured. “I would be grateful of they would take me. If they don’t there is nothing I can do,” a soldier was quoted as saying by the newspaper. POWs likely seen as traitors in North Korea Activists and North Korean defectors told DW that North Korean military doctrine outright prohibits surrender …

Abu Dhabi Talks Bearing Fruit: Over 300 Russian, Ukrainian POWs Swapped

Abu Dhabi Talks Bearing Fruit: Over 300 Russian, Ukrainian POWs Swapped

Published by Jenni Sidey

US-brokered Ukraine and Russia negotiations in the United Arab Emirates – specifically Abu Dhabi – have already borne some fruit as the warring sides Thursday reached an agreement to exchange 314 prisoners of war. US special envoy Steve Witkoff confirmed the prisoner deal in a post on X, explaining that while “significant work remains, steps like this demonstrate that sustained diplomatic engagement is delivering tangible results and advancing efforts to end the war in Ukraine.” Illustrative prior prisoner swap. There have been several throughout the 4-year long war. Russian negotiator Kirill Dmitriev told state media that “things are moving forward in a good, positive direction.” But he at the same time blasted European nations for seeking to “disrupt the progress” and “meddle” in the process. Despite the positive and tangible development of a large prisoner exchange, there’s no apparent progress on the big issues and questions which might actually end the war – namely territory.  Moscow is still demanding that Ukraine cede portions of the Donbass region that Ukrainian forces still control, but Zelensky’s refusal means …