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Zelenskyy Confirms Return of 270 Ukrainians as TASS Highlights UAE Mediation in Russia–Ukraine Prisoner Exchange

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11 hours ago

October 23, 2026

Shorya

Zelenskyy confirms 270 Ukrainians return

On October 23, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has confirmed that 270 Ukrainians have been returned from Russian captivity, while Russia’s state news agency TASS noted the United Arab Emirates’ (UAE) role in the prisoner exchange as a humanitarian mediator. According to UAE’s official announcement published by the Emirates News Agency (WAM), the exchange resulted in the release of 540 captives – 270 on each side.

The development underscores the ongoing diplomatic ties between Moscow and Kyiv, as well as humanitarian concerns, in the UAE. The prisoner exchange does not suggest that there is a new development in the peace talks, but it indicates that there is still a communication window between the two countries, despite the ongoing war.

270 of our people are home.
A very important result.

National Guard members, including Azov warriors, border guards, warriors of the Territorial Defense Forces, the Navy, the Land Forces, the Airborne Assault Forces, and the State Special Transport Service, as well as nine… pic.twitter.com/MEcl5qYcgm
— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) October 23, 2026

Zelenskyy Welcomes the Return of 270 Ukrainians

Most of those released were captured in 2022 since, Zelenskyy said. Many of them were soldiers who defended the city of Mariupol, others fought in the Donetsk, Luhansk, Kharkiv, Zaporizhzhia, Kherson, Kyiv, Mykolaiv and Chernihiv regions, RBC-Ukraine reports.

The Ukrainian president also said some returnees were sentenced in “unlawful” sentences in Russian courts. Five people survived the attack on the Olenivka detention center that contained Ukrainian POWs in July 2022 and were among those released.

Zelenskyy calls Olenivka incident a Russian terrorist attack. Reuters reports Ukraine has blamed the deaths at the facility on Russia, while Moscow has put the blame on Ukraine for the strike.

The five survivors are a major humanitarian component of the exchange; for families who were uncertain about the fate of those they had detained.

The UAE’s Humanitarian Mediation is highlighted through the lens of TASS.TASS focuses on the UAE’s Humanitarian Mediation.

TASS Highlights the UAE’s Humanitarian Mediation

The report explicitly mentioned the role played by the UAE and said that it has facilitated the return of the Russian servicemen through humanitarian mediation.

That’s noteworthy as it brings the UAE’s part into both the Ukrainian and Russian narratives of the exchange. The two nations have taken opposite sides on the war and how it is being fought, but moving detainees back and forth could yield tangible humanitarian results.

Russian military authorities said released Russian servicemen were being treated in Belarus where they were in need of medical and psychological support. According to the TASS report they were to be transported back to Russia for more treatment and rehabilitation at the medical units of the Ministry of Defence in Russia.

The Russian side also said it had been monitoring their situation, with Russian Human Rights Commissioner Yana Lantratova having been involved.

The Russian report therefore was limited to the condition and repatriation of its military personnel and praised the UAE’s efforts in arranging their return.

UAE Says 540 Captives Were Released

According to the UAE official announcement, which was made through the Emirates News Agency, the UAE’s latest mediation has resulted in the exchange of 540 captives, for each side, 270 were freed.

The ministry called the swap the 27th mediation of its kind between Russia and Ukraine and stated that 8,537 captives had been exchanged in such mediation through the UAE’s mediation.

It expressed appreciation to both countries for their cooperation and confidence in the UAE as an international mediator. The ministry also reiterated its pledge to help towards a peaceful solution to the conflict and humanitarian efforts.

The announcement comes as part of a larger series of UAE’s humanitarian efforts. The result is a tangible “proof point” for international viewers that diplomacy can actually bring a tangible benefit to detainees and their families, immediately.

The UAE’s language, Zelenskyy’s and TASS’s reporting were all about the same exchange, but they used different terms to refer to the released groups. Zelenskyy said that of the 270 Ukrainians who returned home, nine were civilians, and the Russian Defence Ministry only mentioned military personnel. The description should be used for the person it refers to, and should not be used as a breakdown of all the people released.

A Humanitarian Breakthrough, Not a Peace Agreement

The deal is significant amid the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict. But release of prisoners is not to be equated with progress towards comprehensive ceasefire or political settlement.

The swap came on the heels of US negotiators’ talks with their counterparts last week, as Reuters reported on October 23. One of the few practical agreements that have been reached between Moscow and Kyiv so far in the conflict has been prisoner exchanges.

The first priority for Ukraine is to get its citizens and military personnel held in captivity back. Zelenskyy restated that the nation would persist in efforts to return everyone home, and expressed gratitude to those aiding in making the exchange.

The transportation of the military members back and their medical treatment/rehabilitation is at the heart of the official narrative for Russia.\

The agreement illustrates the ongoing pertinence of humanitarian mediation in the UAE, in the presence of divergent positions on key political and military issues. The Emirates News Agency’s report has shed more light on the UAE announcement and its commitment to help in achieving a peaceful solution.

The exchange doesn’t conclude that the two countries are more advanced toward resolving the war. It does prove, however, that there can be a limited success through negotiations.

The release of 540 captives on October 23 is thus a major humanitarian step, and the mention of the UAE’s role as a mediator in the negotiations by both Ukrainian and Russian sources gives international attention a clear point of focus for the agreement.