Russia's Ministry of Defense announced today that 185 Russian soldiers were released on 5/6. In return, 185 Ukrainian prisoners of war were also handed over.

The Russian side added that the United Arab Emirates (UAE), which had mediated previous exchanges, continued to mediate this prisoner exchange.

Russian prisoners of war were returned on 5/6. Video: X/@mfa_russia

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky also confirmed the information, adding that most of the returned prisoners had been held by Moscow since 2022. According to Kyiv's military officials, the oldest Ukrainian prisoner returned was 62 years old.

"Bringing our people home is Ukraine's top priority," Zelensky posted on social media.

Ukrainian prisoners of war were returned at an undisclosed location on 5/6. Photo: AFP.

Today's prisoner exchange marks the second implementation under an agreement between Russia and Ukraine to exchange 1,000 prisoners of war each. This initiative forms part of a three-day ceasefire agreement mediated by the US earlier in May.

President Zelensky previously proposed a comprehensive ceasefire and a direct meeting in a rare open letter to his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin. The Ukrainian leader has repeatedly called for a meeting between himself and his Russian counterpart, arguing that only direct dialogue can help achieve a territorial agreement.

Months-long US-led negotiation efforts have yet to help Russia and Ukraine move closer to an agreement, while President Donald Trump is currently focused primarily on the Middle East conflict. Russia demands that Ukraine withdraw all forces from the Donbass region as a prerequisite for peace talks, but Kyiv rejected it.

Ngoc Anh (According to AFP, Reuters)