Ukraine has reached a preliminary agreement with Russia to establish systematic prisoner exchanges starting this year, according to officials in Kyiv.
Dmytro Lubinets, the Verkhovna Rada Commissioner for Human Rights, shared the news on Monday on Telegram while emphasizing that the priority will be to return seriously ill and wounded soldiers.
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“We have an agreement that exchanges in 2025 will become systematic, focusing primarily on those who are seriously ill or wounded,” he stated during an interview with Rada TV.
Lubinets highlighted the dedicated efforts of a large team working to secure the return of captured Ukrainians. He also noted that every Ukrainian prisoner of war and civilian hostage would receive a package of personal belongings from home, facilitated by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC).
Lubinets cautioned that it remains to be seen whether Russia will uphold its commitments. This agreement comes on the heels of a recent exchange on December 30, where 189 Ukrainians were returned from Russian captivity.
In discussions held in Belarus, Lubinets and Russian Human Rights Commissioner Tatyana Moskalkova also addressed mutual visits to prisoners of war and the establishment of mixed medical commissions for repatriating seriously wounded individuals. They touched upon additional humanitarian initiatives, including family reunification and the return of civilians.
Russia and Ukraine swapped more than 300 prisoners of war last week in an exchange brokered by the United Arab Emirates ahead of New Year’s Eve, officials from both countries said.
The two sides have exchanged hundreds of captive soldiers since Russia began its military assault on Ukraine in February 2022, in one of the few areas of cooperation between the warring countries.
“On 30 December, as a result of the negotiation process, 150 Russian servicemen were returned from territory controlled by the Kyiv regime. In return, 150 Ukrainian army prisoners of war were handed over,” the Russian defense ministry said.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Kyiv received 189 people as part of the deal, including soldiers, border guards, and two civilians from the Russian-occupied city of Mariupol. “We are working to free everyone from Russian captivity. This is our goal. We do not forget anyone,” Zelensky said.
Ukraine said Monday that Moscow had released a total of 3,956 people – soldiers and civilians – in deals with Kyiv since the start of the conflict.
Both sides said the latest exchange had been brokered by the United Arab Emirates. Video published by Russia’s human rights commissioner Tatyana Moskalkova showed soldiers gathered outside buses, wearing winter clothes and military fatigues.
“I thank you for your service, patience and courage,” Moskalkova said, wishing them a happy New Year’s holiday.
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