Russia Ukraine Prisoner Exchange: 270 POWs Swapped by Each Side
Russia and Ukraine carried out a new prisoner exchange on 23 October 2026, each side returning 270 prisoners of war. Russia’s Defence Ministry announced the swap on its official Telegram channel, saying 270 Russian servicemen had been returned from territory controlled by Kyiv in exchange for 270 Ukrainian POWs. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky separately confirmed that 270 Ukrainian service members had come home.
- Formula: 270 for 270 prisoners of war
- Date: 23 October 2026
- Returned Russian servicemen were taken to Belarus first, according to Russia’s Defence Ministry
- Ukraine also brought back seven civilians, Ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets said
- Reported as the 11th exchange of 2026 and the first in two months
What Moscow said
According to Russia’s Defence Ministry, the returned Russian servicemen were in Belarus, where Russia’s human rights commissioner, Yana Lantratova, was working with them. The ministry said that after receiving psychological and medical assistance, they would be transported to Russia for treatment and rehabilitation at Defence Ministry medical facilities. Moscow did not name a mediator in its statement.
Kyiv’s account
Zelensky announced the return of 270 Ukrainian defenders. Ukraine’s parliamentary human rights commissioner, Dmytro Lubinets, said seven Ukrainian civilians were also brought back from Russia, while seven civilians travelled to Russia as part of family reunification efforts supported by the International Committee of the Red Cross, Ukrainian media reported.
Neither side published a full breakdown of the units or categories of personnel involved at the time of the announcement.
One of the few working channels
Prisoner exchanges have remained one of the few regular channels of practical cooperation between Moscow and Kyiv throughout the war. Previous swaps have often been brokered by the United Arab Emirates and other intermediaries. The Kyiv Independent reported that Friday’s swap was the 11th of 2026 and the first in two months, following two exchanges in August.
The exchange comes as U.S.-mediated peace efforts have so far failed to produce even a partial ceasefire. Fighting continues along the front line, and both sides continue to report large-scale drone and missile strikes.
Context
Humanitarian issues, including the return of prisoners and the bodies of fallen soldiers, have been among the few areas where the two governments have reached concrete agreements. Further exchanges have not been officially announced, but both sides have repeatedly said they are prepared to continue the process.
Featured image: President Of Ukraine / CC0, via Wikimedia Commons
