Russia and Ukraine conducted a prisoner exchange on Saturday, each side returning 175 prisoners of war as part of arrangements surrounding a brief ceasefire to mark Orthodox Easter.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed that 175 Ukrainian servicemen and seven civilians were repatriated from Russian custody. The Russian Defense Ministry reported taking back 175 servicemen and seven civilians from the Kursk region. The exchange was mediated by the United Arab Emirates, according to Russian officials.

Footage from the exchange showed Ukrainian returnees arriving by bus and receiving warm welcomes from family members, many carrying photos of still-detained prisoners. Some of the returning Ukrainians required medical assistance due to mobility difficulties.

This swap is part of a series of prisoner exchanges that both Kyiv and Moscow have carried out during the more than four years of conflict. These exchanges remain some of the few tangible outcomes of several rounds of U.S.-facilitated peace talks, which have so far stalled primarily over territorial disputes.

In conjunction with the prisoner swap, Russia and Ukraine agreed to a temporary 32-hour ceasefire spanning from Saturday into Sunday to observe Orthodox Easter, a significant religious holiday in both countries this year. The ceasefire was announced by Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday and was accepted by Zelensky, despite earlier refusals by Moscow to agree to ceasefires proposed by Kyiv.

Despite the truce, both sides accused each other of violating the ceasefire shortly after it took effect. The Russian Defense Ministry reported nearly 2,000 ceasefire violations over the course of the night, while Ukraine’s general staff documented 479 shelling incidents and over 1,700 drone attacks attributed to Russian forces.

Regarding civilian casualties, Russia reported a child injured in a Ukrainian drone strike in the Kursk region. In the Belgorod region, two people were killed in shelling that local authorities attributed to Ukrainian forces. Ukrainian officials reported two civilians wounded by a Russian drone attack in the Kharkiv region.

Although violence continued, Ukrainian military reports noted an absence of long-range Shahed drone attacks, guided aerial bombings, or missile strikes during the ceasefire period, suggesting limited adherence to the truce.

The ceasefire officially ended at midnight Sunday, aligning with Orthodox Easter celebrations observed on that day according to the church calendar predominant in both countries. The sporadic violations highlight ongoing challenges in maintaining lasting peace even during designated periods of calm.