Russia and Ukraine hold latest POW swap
Russia and Ukraine have exchanged 270 prisoners of war each, the Defense Ministry in Moscow announced on Friday. The returning Russian servicemen are currently in Belarus, where they are receiving assistance before being transported home for treatment and rehabilitation.
Russian Human Rights Commissioner Yana Lantratova is working with the freed servicemen in the neighboring country, according to the ministry. The troops will receive medical and psychological assistance before being transferred to Russian Defense Ministry facilities for further treatment and rehabilitation.
Prisoner exchanges between Moscow and Kiev are generally conducted on an equal basis, unlike the repatriation of fallen soldiers, which has frequently involved Russia handing over significantly more bodies than it receives.
The latest exchange follows previous humanitarian arrangements between the two sides despite the continuing hostilities. On Thursday, Russia handed over the remains of 252 Ukrainian soldiers killed in the conflict and received the bodies of 25 Russian troops in return.
Such disparities are typical of repatriations, unlike prisoner-of-war swaps, which are generally conducted on an equal basis. Pro-Kiev commentators have long argued that the imbalance does not reflect the actual ratio of battlefield casualties, as advancing Russian forces are better positioned to recover the bodies of fallen Ukrainian soldiers. However, Thursday’s exchange, which followed Kiev’s claims of a major offensive near the city of Liman, showed no significant change in the proportion.
