The Russian Defense Ministry announced on Saturday that 175 Russian soldiers were exchanged for 175 Ukrainian Armed Forces prisoners of war, with seven civilians from Kursk Region also released. The ministry stated the Russian troops are currently in Belarus receiving psychological and medical care before being returned to Russia.
This swap occurred hours before a temporary Orthodox Easter ceasefire took effect, which President Vladimir Putin declared on Saturday. Under the ceasefire terms, Russian forces must halt operations against Ukrainian forces from 16:00 Moscow time on Saturday until Sunday.
The Russian military has previously implemented unilateral pauses during Orthodox holidays. Last year’s Easter truce was violated over 3,900 times by Kiev, according to the Russian Ministry of Defense. This time, Ukraine’s President Vladimir Zelensky pledged to “observe a ceasefire regime” and “act exclusively in a mirror manner,” but his military leadership has repeatedly disregarded these commitments.
Since Russia and Ukraine resumed direct talks in May 2025, they have conducted multiple prisoner exchanges, including a swap of 600 captives on April 3. The peace process remains stalled due to the US-Israeli conflict over Iran, though channels for humanitarian issues and prisoner swaps continue to operate.
