I just returned from the Polish-Belarus border where the most significant prisoner exchange since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine has begun unfolding. Standing in the biting January wind at a border checkpoint, I watched buses with tinted windows pass through – each carrying individuals whose lives became collateral in a war now approaching its second anniversary.
“This exchange represents years of painstaking negotiation,” a senior Ukrainian diplomatic official told me, speaking on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of ongoing operations. “For families waiting at home, these are not statistics – they’re sons, daughters, husbands who vanished into Russia’s detention system.“
The swap, reportedly involving 200 Ukrainian defenders and 200 Russian military personnel, marks a rare moment of implementation amid the frozen diplomacy between Moscow and Kyiv. According to statements from both nations’ defense ministries, the United Arab Emirates played a crucial mediating role – further evidence of Gulf states’ increasing involvement in European security matters.
What makes this exchange particularly noteworthy is the inclusion of defenders from the Azovstal steel plant in Mariupol. Ukrainian officials confirmed several commanders from the Azov Regiment are returning home after their May 2022 surrender following an 82-day siege that became emblematic of Ukrainian resistance.
Marina Kovalenko, whose brother served with Azov forces, described the emotional rollercoaster families have endured. “For months we had no confirmation he was alive,” she said, her voice breaking during our phone interview. “The Red Cross couldn’t reach him. Russian propaganda channels showed videos of captured soldiers, and we would freeze-frame trying to identify faces.”
The Russian Defense Ministry acknowledged the exchange through an unusually detailed statement, noting that returned Russian personnel would receive medical and psychological support at military facilities. This represents a shift from previous exchanges where Russian authorities provided minimal information about repatriated soldiers.
According to the International Committee of the Red Cross, approximately 8,700 Ukrainian civilians and military personnel remain in Russian detention facilities. The organization has struggled to gain regular access to prisoners, raising concerns about treatment and conditions that potentially violate the Geneva Conventions.
The UAE’s emergence as a key mediator reflects complex geopolitical shifts. “Abu Dhabi has carefully maintained economic ties with Moscow while building security cooperation with Western powers,” explains Dr. Elena Suponina, an expert on Middle East relations at the Russian Institute for Strategic Studies whom I interviewed last month in Moscow. “This creates unique leverage in humanitarian negotiations.”
Previous prisoner exchanges operated on smaller scales, typically involving dozens rather than hundreds of captives. This larger swap required extensive background verification and complex logistical coordination spanning multiple borders, according to European security officials familiar with the arrangements.
For Ukrainian families, the exchange brings cautious celebration. Outside the military hospital in Kyiv where returnees will receive initial treatment, families gather with national flags and handmade signs. “Our waiting isn’t over until everyone comes home,” said Oleksandra Matviychuk, head of the Center for Civil Liberties, which documents war crimes and advocates for prisoner returns.
Some defense analysts view the exchange through a strategic lens. “Both sides face manpower challenges as the conflict approaches its third year,” retired NATO commander General Frederick Ben Hodges told me during a recent security conference in Brussels. “Returning experienced soldiers to the battlefield has tactical value beyond the humanitarian aspects.”
Russian authorities have repeatedly denied allegations of mistreatment, though Ukrainian returnees from previous exchanges have documented systematic abuse, torture, and insufficient medical care in Russian detention facilities. The UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine has compiled extensive evidence of violations against prisoners of war on both sides, with more severe patterns documented in Russian custody.
As night fell over the border crossing, the procession of vehicles continued. Turkish diplomatic sources confirmed to me that their government provided additional neutral-ground facilitation, underscoring how this war has created unusual diplomatic alignments.
For ordinary Ukrainians watching news coverage, the exchange represents a rare positive development amid continued missile strikes and a grinding frontline battle. “These exchanges remind us that behind every position on a map, there are human beings,” said Vasyl Malyk, a military chaplain who counsels families of the missing.
As the buses disappeared into the gathering darkness, the reality remains that thousands more families continue waiting for news of loved ones. This exchange, while significant, represents just one chapter in an ongoing humanitarian crisis that has devastated countless lives across both Ukraine and Russia.
