Ukraine returns 205 prisoners in swap

President Volodymyr Zelensky said on May 15 that Ukraine had brought home 205 prisoners of war in what he called the first phase of a planned 1,000-for-1,000 exchange with Russia. Russia’s defence ministry said 205 Russian servicemen were also returned on Friday. The exchange was one of the largest publicly confirmed prisoner swaps in recent months and one of the few continuing channels of direct contact between the two sides during the war. The United Arab Emirates was named by both sides as a mediator, and Ukrainian officials have also credited the United States with helping secure the broader arrangement. ### Who was returned in Friday’s exchange? Zelensky said most of the Ukrainians released on May 15 had been held by Russia since 2022. He said the group included defenders of Mariupol and soldiers who had served in the defence of the Chernobyl area. AFP photographs distributed by the Ukrainian presidential press service showed released Ukrainians wrapped in blue-and-yellow flags after the handover. (france24.com) A Ukrainian prisoner-of-war coordination body said a previously documented 205-person exchange had included members of the armed forces, navy, air force, airborne assault forces, territorial defence units, the National Guard and the border guard service, as well as Mariupol garrison defenders. That earlier account also said three officers and 202 soldiers and sergeants were among those released, illustrating the mix of personnel Ukraine has sought to recover in large swaps. (france24.com) ### Why are officials calling this the first phase of a bigger deal? Zelensky said Friday’s handover was the first phase of a 1,000-for-1,000 prisoner exchange. In a May 10 address, he said Ukraine’s Coordination Headquarters had already passed lists of 1,000 prisoners to the Russian side and that the exchange “is being prepared and must take place.” In the same address, he said the United States had assumed responsibility for guarantees tied to arrangements announced by the U.S. president. (koordshtab.gov.ua) Reuters reported that the 205-for-205 exchange was linked to a broader agreement reached earlier this month. Reuters also reported that the arrangement followed a U.S.-brokered ceasefire from May 9 to May 11, which both sides later accused each other of violating. ### What did Russia say about its own prisoners? Russia’s defence ministry said on May 15 that 205 Russian servicemen had been returned from territory controlled by Kyiv. (france24.com) It said the servicemen were taken to Belarus, where they were receiving psychological and medical assistance before onward transfer. The ministry said the United Arab Emirates had provided humanitarian assistance during the return. (wifc.com) Belarus has regularly been used as a transit point for Russian personnel recovered in exchanges with Ukraine. Russia’s statement on Friday did not publicly set out a timetable for the next stage of the larger swap. ### What role did the UAE and the United States play? The United Arab Emirates was identified by Moscow as the mediator for Friday’s exchange, and Ukrainian officials have repeatedly thanked the UAE for help with prisoner returns. (france24.com) Zelensky’s office said after a February 2025 meeting with UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan that prisoner releases were among the issues discussed by the two governments. (wifc.com) The United States was identified by Zelensky on May 10 as a guarantor for implementing the broader 1,000-for-1,000 arrangement. Ukrainian official accounts on May 15 also credited U.S. participation in the effort, according to the material cited in the story background. ### How unusual are exchanges of this size now? Prisoner exchanges have remained one of the few areas where Russia and Ukraine still conduct structured, reciprocal contacts during the war, AFP reported. (wifc.com) Ukrainian officials say swaps also remain politically sensitive because they include long-held prisoners from emblematic battles such as Mariupol. (president.gov.ua) Ukraine’s prisoner coordination headquarters said in a previously published account that, as of that exchange, 4,757 Ukrainian citizens had been freed through negotiations and swaps since March 2022. That same account described the 205-person handover as the 64th exchange since Russia’s full-scale invasion. (france24.com) May 15’s exchange leaves the next milestone clearly stated by Kyiv: completion of the remaining stages of the 1,000-for-1,000 swap. Zelensky said on May 15 that Friday’s handover was only the first phase, and his May 10 address said the lists had already been passed to Russia for the larger exchange. (france24.com) (koordshtab.gov.ua)