Ukraine and Russia executed a major prisoner exchange today, each side returning 84 individuals. The exchange included Ukrainian soldiers, civilians, and Mariupol defenders, as well as Russian servicemen, and was facilitated by the United Arab Emirates.

The swap comes as the world turns its attention to a one-on‑one summit between President Donald Trump and President Vladimir Putin, scheduled for Friday, 15 August, at Joint Base Elmendorf‑Richardson in Anchorage, Alaska. Trump characterizes it as a “listening exercise”, aimed at exploring a ceasefire in Ukraine, though critics warn the meeting may sideline Ukraine and favor Russia.

Captain Oleksandr Boychuk among freed

Among those released was Captain Oleksandr Boychuk, commander of Ukraine’s only minesweeper, Henichesk, who resisted Russian seizure of his ship during the 2014 annexation of Crimea.

Journalist and serviceman Bohdan Kutiepov hailed his release:

“Free! My friend, a defender of Mariupol, is finally home after years in captivity. Miracles happen!”

Boychuk had been missing since March 2022, last seen in a Russian “filtration camp” near Mariupol.

Civilians held for years among freed Ukrainians

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said many released civilians had been held since 2014, 2016, or 2017. Human Rights Commissioner Dmytro Lubinets noted, “This return includes 51 civilians — political prisoners, men and women, some held for nearly a decade.” The youngest freed was 26, the oldest 74.

Mykola Fedorian released to enable swap

Ukraine handed Russia Mykola Fedorian, a Russian-appointed former deputy head of Crimea’s Interior Ministry. Convicted of treason in October 2024 and sentenced to 12 years in prison, he was released by a Kyiv court to allow the exchange.

Part of a series of recent swaps

This exchange is part of an ongoing series of prisoner swaps carried out under the framework agreed during the Istanbul talks earlier this year. In those negotiations, Ukraine and Russia committed to prioritizing specific humanitarian categories — such as severely wounded and gravely ill prisoners of war, young soldiers aged 18–25, and the return of thousands of bodies of fallen troops — over strict number matching.

Since then, multiple exchanges have been conducted, with mediators like the United Arab Emirates facilitating individual deals.