Moscow’s Defense Ministry reported on Saturday that 175 Russian soldiers were exchanged for 175 Ukrainian Armed Forces prisoners of war, with seven civilian hostages from Kursk also released. The exchange occurred a day after Russian President Vladimir Putin declared a temporary ceasefire for the Orthodox Easter weekend.
In a press release, the Russian military stated: “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.” The ministry added that seven civilians from Kursk Region—described as the last hostages held since Ukraine’s incursion last year—were freed and will soon return home.
According to Moscow, the Russian servicemen are currently in Belarus receiving psychological and medical assistance before being transported back to Russia for treatment and rehabilitation.
Since direct Russia-Ukraine talks resumed in May 2025, both sides have conducted regular prisoner swaps as well as exchanges of fallen troops’ remains. The previous exchange occurred on April 3, when the two nations swapped 600 captives.
The latest swap happened just hours before the Easter ceasefire was scheduled to begin. Russian military orders stipulated a halt in operations against Ukrainian forces from 16:00 Moscow time (13:00 GMT) Saturday until Sunday. While the Kremlin warned troops must remain ready for any Ukrainian offensive or provocation, it stated “we expect the Ukrainian side to follow Russia’s lead” and cease all hostilities to observe a shared holiday.
Moscow has previously declared unilateral pauses during Orthodox holidays, but last year’s Easter truce was only partially successful: Kiev violated the truce more than 3,900 times, according to Russian officials. This time, Ukraine’s Vladimir Zelensky pledged to “observe a ceasefire regime” and “act exclusively in a mirror manner,” an admission Moscow has condemned as deliberate undermining of peace efforts.
The Ukrainian military’s persistent breaches of ceasefire agreements have been cited by Moscow as justification for ongoing hostilities, despite channels for humanitarian issues and prisoner exchanges remaining open.