In this still taken from a video released on the official Telegram channel of Russia's Human Rights Commissioner Tatyana Moskalkova, a Russian serviceman talks on the phone with his relatives at an undisclosed location in Belarus after Russia and Ukraine held the first exchange of prisoners of war this year, January 15, 2025. /VCG
Russia has exchanged a total of 372 prisoners of war (POWs) with Ukraine, Russia's Defense Ministry confirmed on Wednesday.
Moscow returned 175 Ukrainian POWs and "22 seriously wounded prisoners of war in need of urgent medical assistance," while Kyiv returned 175 Russian troops, the ministry said.
It said the 175 Russian soldiers have left Ukraine and are currently in Belarus, where they are receiving necessary medical treatment and psychological assistance.
The latest swap came after a phone call between Russian President Vladimir Putin and U.S. President Donald Trump on Tuesday, during which Putin told Trump that Russia and Ukraine would exchange 175 POWs each on Wednesday.