Russia and Ukraine reached a preliminary agreement on a large-scale prisoner exchange during US-mediated talks in Abu Dhabi on November 10-11, 2026, marking their first negotiations in nine months. Officials described the planned swap as potentially the largest of the conflict, involving 1,000 or more personnel per side, with details to be finalized shortly and execution expected within two to three weeks. This builds on the most recent exchange of 270 prisoners each on October 23, 2026. Prisoner swaps remain one of the few consistent channels of cooperation amid stalled progress on ceasefires and territorial issues. US envoys plan follow-up meetings in Moscow and with Ukrainian leadership to advance implementation, though broader diplomatic gaps persist.
On November 11, 2026, following US-mediated talks in Abu Dhabi, Russia and Ukraine agreed in principle to a large-scale exchange of prisoners of war, with the number of prisoners involved still being finalized. This market will resolve to "Yes" if any confirmed prisoner exchange between Russia and Ukraine takes place between market creation and the listed date, 11:59 PM ET. Otherwise, this market will resolve to "No". A prisoner exchange refers to a reciprocal transfer in which each country releases to the other at least one living individual held in its custody. Exchanges conducted with the assistance of third parties (e.g., mediation by the United Arab Emirates or the United States, or a handover in Belarus) will qualify. If an exchange is conducted in multiple stages, the first completed stage will qualify. The number of prisoners involved does not matter, and the numbers released by each side need not be equal. Any swap involving military or civilian detainees held by either government will qualify. The following will not qualify on their own: the repatriation of bodies or remains; unilateral releases; and transfers of individuals not held in detention, such as family reunifications, humanitarian evacuations, or the return of children. An agreement or announcement of a future exchange will not qualify unless the exchange actually takes place. The resolution sources for this market will be official information from the governments of Russia and Ukraine and a consensus of credible reporting.