Russia and Ukraine said Wednesday, March 19, that they had each swapped 175 prisoners in one of the largest exchanges of the war. Severely wounded soldiers and fighters whom Russia had prosecuted on fabricated charges were among those released, according to Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky.
"We are bringing back soldiers, sergeants, and officers – warriors who fought for our freedom in the ranks of the Armed Forces, the Navy, the National Guard, the Territorial Defense Forces, and the Border Guard Service," Zelensky said.
Russia's Defense Ministry said it had released an additional 22 severely wounded Ukraine captives "as a goodwill gesture." Zelensky noted that they were returned through a separate negotiation process
There was no immediate comment on why the number was one fewer than the 23 wounded POWs that Russian President Vladimir Putin had promised to release Tuesday when he spoke with US President Donald Trump about a potential partial ceasefire. Prisoner exchanges have happened throughout the three-year war and the exchange on Wednesday had been planned before that call.
The released Ukrainian servicemen had been captured while defending multiple regions, including Mariupol, the Azovstal steel plant, Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson, Kharkiv, Mykolaiv, Zaporizhzhia, Sumy and Kursk.
All those who returned will receive immediate medical and psychological assistance, Zelensky said in a statement on X. He expressed gratitude to the Ukrainian team working on prisoner swaps and to international partners, particularly the United Arab Emirates, for facilitating the exchange.
"Ukraine remembers each of its heroes, and we will bring everyone home," he said.