Moscow, March 19 -- Russia and Ukraine each have exchanged 175 prisoners of war (POWs) captured in the conflict, with Moscow giving Kiev 22 seriously injured POWs as a gesture of goodwill, the Russian Defense Ministry said on Wednesday.

"On March 19, 2025, as a result of negotiations, 175 Russian servicepeople were returned from Kiev-controlled territory. In return, 175 Ukrainian prisoners of war were handed over, as well as, as a gesture of goodwill, 22 severely wounded prisoners of war in need of urgent medical care," the ministry said in a statement.

All returned Russian soldiers are currently receiving medical and psychological help in Belarus, where they also have the ability to contact their relatives, the statement said.

"All rele...