Russia and Ukraine complete prisoner swap despite tensions over plane crash

Russia and Ukraine have exchanged about 200 prisoners of war (PoW) each, the two countries said on Wednesday.

The development comes despite tensions stemming from last week's crash of a military transport plane, which Moscow claimed was carrying 65 Ukrainian PoWs and was shot down by Kyiv's forces.

After the plane crash in Russia's Belgorod region, near the border with Ukraine, some Russian officials had publicly questioned the possibility of future PoW swaps.

Russia’s Defence Ministry said the countries exchanged 195 PoWs each.

After the statement was released, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said 207 Ukrainians were freed.

There was no immediate explanation for the different figures.

"We remember each Ukrainian in captivity. Both warriors and civilians. We must bring all of them back. We are working on it," Zelenskyy said on X, formerly Twitter.

Dmytro Lubinets, Ukraine’s ombudsman for human rights, said on social media that it was the 50th such exchange since the beginning of Russia’s full-scale invasion nearly two years ago, with a total of 3,035 PoWs repatriated.

Among the Ukrainians released were members of the armed forces, National Guard, Border Service and national police, said Andrii Yermak, head of Ukraine’s Presidential Office.

He added that some of them had been captured while defending Mariupol, Azovstal, and Snake Island.

The Russian military said, without providing details or evidence, that the Russian PoWs who were swapped on Wednesday "faced deadly danger in captivity" and will be flown to Moscow for treatment and rehabilitation.

Ukrainian officials confirmed that a swap was due to take place the day the plane crashed on January 24, and was called off, but said they have seen no evidence the plane was carrying the PoWs.

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