On Wednesday, Russia and Ukraine announced the exchange of hundreds of captive soldiers, marking the first such prisoner-of-war exchange in months. The two sides had previously carried out several rounds of exchanges during Moscow’s 22-month invasion, but the process had stalled in the latter half of last year. In simultaneous statements, the Russian defence ministry and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky revealed that over 200 soldiers had been returned to each side. Zelensky announced on Telegram that “More than 200 of our soldiers and civilians have been returned from Russian captivity,” accompanied by a video of uniformed men celebrating. Ukraine’s human rights ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets stated that 230 Ukrainian people — 224 soldiers and six civilians —were released in total, marking the 49th exchange between the two sides. Moscow’s defence ministry confirmed that 248 of its soldiers were returned in a deal that came about after “complex” negotiations mediated by the United Arab Emirates.