Poland and Belarus carried out a prisoner exchange on a "five-for-five" basis
On April 28, Poland and Belarus carried out a prisoner exchange on a "five-for-five" basis.
This was reported by RMF24 and Polsat News.
According to sources, as part of the agreement, three Polish citizens and two Moldovan citizens were released from Belarusian detention facilities.
John Cole, U.S. President Donald Trump’s Special Representative for Belarus, stated that the American team joined the process and facilitated the prisoners’ release. He thanked Poland, Moldova, and Romania for their support and noted the Belarusian government’s willingness to negotiate.
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk welcomed the release of renowned journalist Andrzej Poczobut, who had been held in a Belarusian prison for five years on politically motivated charges.
Andrzej Poczobut is free! Welcome home to Poland, my friend❤️ pic.twitter.com/TSs97ry7X1
— Donald Tusk (@donaldtusk) April 28, 2026
Polish Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski noted that this was the result of an exchange between the parties involving Poland and Belarus, as well as mediation channels.
Belarusian state media called the process “the culmination of lengthy negotiations” between the intelligence services of the two countries, which had been ongoing since the fall of 2025 and involved the leadership of the Belarusian government.
As a reminder, Ukraine and the aggressor country may conduct another round of prisoner of war exchanges in the coming days.
Earlier, 11 Azov fighters and soldier Kara-Dag were returned from Russian captivity.
182 Ukrainians have returned home from Russian captivity, according to Zelenskyy.
Ukrainian fighters captured two Russian soldiers using drones.
The youngestfreed defender is 23 years old; he was captured at 19, — Joint Operations Command.
Ukraine conducted a new prisoner exchange, in which 157 Ukrainians—both military personnel and civilians—returned home. Among those released are soldiers from the Armed Forces of Ukraine, the National Guard, and the State Border Guard Service.
