World · 2026-10-23 · Afternoon briefing

Ukraine and Russia exchange 270 prisoners of war each

Ukraine and Russia exchanged 270 prisoners of war each on Friday, in a swap facilitated by the United States and the United Arab Emirates. The exchange is the third stage of a process that began on August 19th, which aims to see 2,000 prisoners returned in total. Russia's defense ministry confirmed its 270 freed personnel were in Belarus following the transfer.

The group returned to Ukraine comprised 261 military personnel and nine civilians. Many were defenders of Mariupol captured since 2022, though some had been held since the war in Donbas began as early as 2018. Among those freed was Stephen Hubbard, a 74-year-old English teacher from Izium who Kyiv said had been unlawfully convicted and tortured.

In a notable turn, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy confirmed that five of the returning individuals were previously believed to have been killed in a Russian attack on a prison in Olenivka in July 2022.

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• Russia and Ukraine have swapped 270 prisoners of war each, Russian state media reports
• Russia, Ukraine exchange 270 PoWs each in Belarus
• 270 Ukrainian POWs return home in latest swap with Russia
• Ukraine Brings Home 270 People From Russian Captivity, Including 86 Convicted by Russian Courts
• Russia Says It Exchanged 270 Prisoners of War With Ukraine

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