Overview
- President Volodymyr Zelensky said 185 Ukrainian service members plus one civilian were returned, and Russia’s Defense Ministry reported receiving 185 Russian POWs in the swap completed on Friday, June 5, 2026.
- The group of returned Ukrainians includes soldiers from the Armed Forces, National Guard and Border Guard and contains fighters captured in 2022, including defenders of Mariupol’s Azovstal steel plant.
- Ukraine’s Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of POWs said returnees will get medical exams, treatment, rehabilitation, essential supplies and government financial aid on arrival.
- Russia said its returned personnel are being processed in Belarus for psychological and medical care and that human rights ombudswoman Yana Lantratova has met with them there.
- The swap is part of repeated UAE-mediated rounds that follow a May 15 phase and aim to implement a larger 1,000-for-1,000 framework, a channel that provides humanitarian returns and sustained third‑party diplomacy.